Stay With Me
by pelagia911
Summary: AU where angels are kept as pets and status symbols by humans. Dean finds Castiel on the street, having lived there for a couple years. Castiel is mute. Dean's family has always viewed angels as equal to humans. He takes him in and helps the angel. High school/College AU. Destiel. Brief Dean/Jo. Sam/Jess. John/Mary. Charlie, Benny, Balthazar, Garth, and others appear as well.
1. Chapter 1

A/N- Throughout this story, I use several forms of communication. When there is spoken conversation, it's in quotes like normal. When something is written down, typed on a computer, or texted, _it is written in italics like this._ When angels are speaking to each other telepathically, 'it will be written like this with one apostrophe.' When sign language is being used, _'it will be in italics between a single apostrophe like this.'_ As you are reading, this will probably become a lot more clear.

 **Stay With Me**

Dean doesn't remember how the fight started, or even what it was about, but before he knew it, his dad was yelling and so was he. Now he was walking down the street with no real destination in mind. The cold January air bit at his skin more than he had expected. In his rush to leave, he hadn't grabbed his coat. He pulled his thin jacket a little tighter and continued his walk toward the city.

It was a little too late for him to be wandering around the streets and feel completely safe. He usually didn't run into trouble but he began to feel uneasy as time passed. He wasn't sure how long he had been walking but it had to be long enough to worry his dad and he considered turning around. His dad was the sheriff and knew better than anyone what could happen out at night in the city.

Dean was just about to turn to cross the street when he heard something behind him. The sound of a group cheering and shouting caught his curiosity. He should've just ignored them and left, but he couldn't. He slowly moved down the sidewalk and saw a group of teenage boys huddled around something in front of the alley.

As he got closer, he could see what had their attention and Dean felt anger flare inside his chest. An angel was on the wet ground. His right wing was pinned under the foot of the small gang's leader as he egged on the others. The angel used his other wing to try and cover his body as the boys kicked and hit him. By the tattered clothes and thin body, Dean knew the angel lived on the street, something common among angels that ran away or were thrown out by their owners.

When the leader caught sight of Dean, he smiled and called out to him. "You want in on this?" He pressed his heel down on the angel's wing. Dean heard a pop and saw the angel jump and open his mouth in a silent scream.

Dean pushed his way through the teens and stepped up in front of the angel. He saw the angel shaking in pain and fear. The lack of noise was most likely because his vocal cords had been cut or removed, a common angel procedure.

The leader laughed. "You gonna do something or just stare?"

The angel looked up at him with wide terrified eyes. Blood covered half of his face and a bruise was already forming around one eye. Dean looked at the boy.

"Get off his wing."

He furrowed his brows like he had misheard. "What?"

Dean stepped closer to him and growled out, "Get off his wing!"

He glared at Dean and looked like he might challenge him, but he lifted his foot and squared up with Dean. The wing twitched as the angel tried to pull it back but couldn't. "He yours?"

"No."

"Then what's the big deal?" He laughed and moved closer to the angel. The angel tried to crawl away but the boy grabbed his shirt and pulled him up to stand. "Look at him. He's just a homeless angel. No one cares about him."

"So he should be beat to a pulp? He deserves this?" He pointed to the angel as he sagged in the boy's grip.

"It's fun."

Dean glared at the other boy and wanted nothing more than to beat the hell out of him but he held back. "Let him go and leave."

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me. Leave, now." He looked around at the small group. Most of them didn't look too sure about what was going on anymore. Some of them probably just wanted to earn a few 'cool' points by hanging out with this jerk.

"Or what?"

The angel looked at Dean again and he saw curiosity behind his eyes. Dean took a deep breath. "Or I can make a call to my dad. You might have heard of him: Sheriff John Winchester."

A few of the teens behind him inhaled sharply and began stepping away. His dad had gotten a reputation around town of being a very strict sheriff and a general hardass. The leader seemed skeptical.

"You all have very distinct faces. I'm sure it wouldn't be hard to give a good description and have you all charged with angel cruelty." Dean kept his glare on the leader, who seemed to be giving in. When Dean reached into his pocket, presumably for his phone, he let go of the angel.

"Fine. Have your angel." He walked back to his group. "Let's go." The others followed as he moved down the sidewalk.

Dean sighed in relief as they disappeared from sight. He had forgotten to grab his phone on the way out, so he's glad his bluff wasn't called. He turned back to the angel just as he collapsed to the ground again.

"Hey," Dean crouched and reached out to the angel.

He pulled back and moved away from Dean quickly. Dean put his hands up in surrender.

"I'm sorry." He stepped back a few steps and moved to his knees. "My name is Dean. I'm not gonna hurt you. Do you have anyone, a friend or parent?" The angel looked about his age so it seemed like a legitimate question. He shook his head. "An owner?" The angel's eyes looked away quickly and he shook his head again.

Dean didn't know what to do. He wanted to help but he wasn't sure how. He didn't have a phone or car and walking the angel all the way back to his house would probably be worse for him and if he left to get his car, he was afraid the angel would run.

He pushed up to stand and felt something in his jacket pocket. He pulled out a candy bar he had stashed for school snacking. Without a second thought, he held the bar out to the angel. The angel eyed it suspiciously.

"It's food. You have to be starving." He shook the candy slightly and the angel reached out slowly and took it. The wrapping crinkled as Dean thought of what to do. The angel hospital was as far away as his house and the angel clearly had no money to pay for it.

One name did come to mind then: Missouri. She lived close and ran a small shop out of her house. His parents had always said she was psychic and that she knew about a lot of things, with a soft spot for angels. He had been to the shop a couple times and could probably get there easy enough.

He turned to the angel as he finished the candy bar. "I know someone who could help you. It's a bit of a walk."

The angel eyed Dean as he dropped the candy wrapper. He seemed to be looking for some kind of trick. Despite his injuries, the angel seemed lucid enough. He looked away in thought.

"Her name is Missouri. She likes angels and she could help you. Will you let me help you?"

The angel considered the question. Dean could still see the fear in him and the angel would be justified if he just ran from him. He wiped some of the blood from his mouth and nodded slowly.

Relief spread through Dean and he pushed up to his feet. "Can you walk well enough?" He held a hand out to the angel. He nodded and took Dean's hand. "Good."

Dean helped the angel stand and started down the sidewalk. The angel couldn't keep up a fast pace and Dean had to stop frequently to let the angel rest. His broken wing was hanging at a strange angle behind his back, while the other one wrapped around his side. He kept his head down as they walked and Dean could feel the angel's hand shaking.

After walking twenty minutes, they were about a block away from Missouri's house. Dean was about to tell the angel when his arm was tugged and the angel sat down on the ground. His whole body was shaking in exhaustion and pain and he shook his head.

"Hey, come on," Dean crouched next to him, "it's just around the corner. I know you're hurting and tired, but you can make it. I'm sure she'll give you food and you can sit the whole time. Come on." Dean stood and held out his hand again.

The angel shook his head and tried to move away from Dean. "Please," Dean moved to the angel's level again and extended his hand out, "come with me. You need help. You'll die out here alone." His breath was coming out in huge clouds as the night air grew colder. He just realized how cold he really was. He couldn't imagine how numb the angel had to feel. "Please?"

He furrowed his brows and searched Dean's eyes. He seemed utterly confused by Dean's insistence on helping him. The angel closed his eyes and dropped his head. Dean moved forward slightly and put a hand on his arm. He flinched but didn't move away.

Dean wasn't sure the angel would be able to walk the whole way but he couldn't leave him. When the angel didn't pull away, Dean put his left arm under his arms and moved to stand them both up. The other boy was so thin, it was easy enough to take most of his weight and walk them down the street.

As the house got closer, the angel's legs gave out. Dean picked him up easily and carried him to Missouri's door. He was beginning to contemplate how he would knock when the door opened.

"Dean Winchester, do you know how late it is?" Missouri had a hand on her hip and she held the door open.

"I hadn't even knocked yet."

Missouri made a sour face before stepping aside. "Well, get in here before you both freeze to death."

Dean hurried inside and sighed as the heater's warmth hit him. He carried the angel over to the table, where Missouri already had first aid supplies out and ready, and set the angel on one of the chairs. He stepped away from the angel and looked around at the supplies with a frown.

"How did you know…?"

"You poor thing, on the edge of death and attacked, dear." Missouri talked over Dean and brushed off his questions as she moved around the table and looked the angel over. She shook her head and bit her lip. "Goodness, who could do this to you?"

"Can you help him?" Dean rubbed his hands together to warm them.

"Of course I can." She sat next to the angel and opened a couple bottles on the table. "Why don't you go make this poor angel something to eat. I'm afraid he'll keel over if you don't."

Dean opened his mouth to respond when Missouri cut him off again. "Make yourself something too if you want. I might need your help too." Instead of asking how she knew they were coming and what she would need, Dean sighed and went to the kitchen.

"Oh, dear." Missouri slid the bowl of warm water she had on the table closer and started washing off the blood from his face and chest.

The angel was scared but was too tired to pull away. He closed his eyes and tried not to shake. "Sweetheart, you have nothing to worry about in this house. No one will hurt you here."

He huffed out a short breath. "I'm not lying. I'm so sorry this happened to you." Dean came back with a sandwich for the angel and set it on the table in front of him. "Who could hurt such a beautiful face?" Missouri carefully held the angel's chin as she wiped blood from his swollen cheek.

The angel closed his eyes again and shook his head. Missouri turned his face to hers. "Don't ever let anyone make you think that. You are beautiful." The angel furrowed his brows. "Of course I can. Others could too if they learned to listen." She looked at a confused Dean.

"Am I missing something?" It looked like they were having a conversation but Dean was missing half of it. "He can't speak, right?"

Missouri shook her head. "Doesn't mean he has nothing to say, Dean." She looked at the angel. "He's not the sharpest tool in the shed, but he's a good kid." The angel smiled.

"Hey!" Dean crossed his arms and tried to think why he should stay.

Missouri laughed and continued her work. "Relax, Dean. You called your dad yet?"

"No, I'll wait a little." He wanted to make sure the angel was okay first. "So, you can hear what he's thinking, is that it?"

"Yes." She stood and took a look at the angel's broken wing. "Angels mainly communicate telepathically." She brushed his wing, making him flinch. "Sorry."

"Okay." Dean moved over to sit at the table. "What's his name?"

Missouri paused and the angel looked at Dean. "Castiel." She smiled and moved back to her seat. The angel continued to stare at Dean.

The piercing look he was getting made Dean nervous. He pushed himself up to stand and smiled at Missouri. "Well, I think I will call my dad now. Thanks for the help and let me know if I can do anything for you." Dean took a couple steps when Missouri spoke.

"What exactly are you planning to do with Castiel?" She raised a brow at him.

"I thought…you know how to treat him and I thought you…"

"Boy, I run a shop out of this house. I can't have an angel to worry about while I got customers in here." She looked at the angel and put a hand on his arm. He looked at her and seemed to deflate.

"We can't just leave him." Dean knew he would die soon on the streets.

"I didn't suggest you should." She looked at him like the solution should be obvious.

Dean opened his mouth and held out his hands. "I can't…my dad has made it clear that we won't have an angel. He doesn't like how that could look, given most owners' reputations." Most were known to be abusive and cruel to their angels and used them for status symbols. The Winchesters didn't want that reputation.

"Maybe you should stop worrying about what other people think of you."

"My dad is the sheriff."

"You don't want to help him then? Did your dad teach you to run from responsibilities?" Missouri stood and put her hands on her hips, setting a glare on him.

"I want to help him, I do. I just don't think my dad will let me take him home. Castiel may not even want me to take care of him." He looked at the angel. "Do you want to come home with me, Castiel?"

Castiel stared at Dean with wide eyes and seemed unable to blink. Missouri looked at him and smiled. She turned to Dean. "He's really trying to figure you out, Dean."

Dean shifted uncomfortably. "If he doesn't want to, that's fine. I can't force him to do anything. I wouldn't."

Castiel looked even more confused. Missouri laughed and shook her head. "He's not used to anyone giving him a choice, or caring enough to offer one." She checked his wing again. "Come help me." She motioned to Dean.

Dean walked around the angel and finally got a close look at his wings. They were large and dark in color, although some of that was dirt and dried blood. They were a dark grey on bottom while some of the smaller feathers on top were lighter, almost white. The broken one stuck out at an unnatural angle, making Dean wince in sympathy.

"I need you to hold his wing straight so I can bind it so it can heal." She put a hand on Castiel's shoulder. "This is gonna hurt, honey. I'm sorry."

Castiel nodded and tensed himself in preparation. Missouri looked at Dean and motioned for him to take the wing. Dean wrapped his hands around the thick bone at the top of the angel's wing and pulled it out to be fully extended. The wingspan was much larger than Dean expected and he marveled at the beautiful wing briefly before Castiel's head fell back and his mouth was open in a pained cry.

"Just hold it still, Dean. I need to tie it up." She rubbed Castiel's arm in sympathy before unrolling the gauze. "Hold this along the bone." She handed him a wooden plank about the size of the bone.

Dean used one hand to hold the wing up as he took the wood and lined it up along the break that almost went through the entire bone. Missouri worked quickly to wrap the wing, careful to mind the feathers. The angel had lost quite a few before Dean showed up.

Castiel had his fingers curled around the edge of the table in a tight grip as they worked. He wanted to pull away and stop the pain, but he couldn't. He knew they were helping him and it would only get better.

When she had the wing wrapped, Dean slowly dropped his hands and let the injured wing hang loose. He could pull the wing in part of the way, but not all the way. When Missouri nodded to him, Dean walked around the table and sat down across from Castiel. He watched as the angel took deep breaths through his nose and kept his eyes shut.

"Isn't there something you can give him for the pain?" Dean couldn't imagine how painful a broken wing had to be.

"I'm getting to it." She smiled at Dean and reached over Castiel to grab a bottle off the table. She opened it and poured some of it on the bandage. Castiel twitched and grimaced. She walked around to sit beside him as the liquid soaked through to his wound. "You get around to calling your dad yet?"

Dean looked at Missouri and shook his head. "I probably should."

"He's worried about you, I'm sure." She raised a brow at him.

"Yeah." Dean stood and went to the phone Missouri had in the kitchen to call his father.

Missouri continued to clean the blood from Castiel and checked the wounds on his chest and stomach. It looked like a couple of his ribs were broken or at least bruised badly. She touched his shoulder gently as Dean entered from the kitchen.

"My dad's on his way." His voice was strained. His dad had obviously not been happy with him, but was happy to know that he was safe. He hadn't said anything about the angel.

Missouri nodded and stood. "You should eat." She pointed to the sandwich on the table. Castiel looked at her. "Don't lie to me. I know how hungry you are." She pointed again and Castiel averted his eyes and picked up the food slowly. She nodded in approval and looked at Dean. "I'll be right back."

Dean just nodded and sat back down at the table. He watched as Castiel took a careful bite like he thought the sandwich would bite back. He smiled and put his hands on the table. "So, we never really settled the matter earlier," Castiel looked at him with wide eyes, "but, do you want to come back with me?" Castiel swallowed his food and seemed worried. "If you don't want to, I'll pack you with some food and take you back to where I found you. It's up to you."

Castiel stared at Dean with an unreadable expression. He considered the offer and looked back down to his food. He wasn't sure what he would really want to do. Dean's father might change his mind.

"I'll need to defend whatever choice you make to my dad when he gets here. Just let me know. Do you want to come home with me?" Dean looked Castiel in the eye, not sure which option he wanted more. He wanted to make sure he was okay, but he wasn't sure if he was ready to be responsible for him for the next few years.

Castiel nodded slowly. He wanted to go with Dean. He felt like he would be safe with him and that the boy genuinely cared about his well-being, which wasn't something Castiel was used to getting.

"Okay. Then I'll make sure you're safe and my dad won't stop me from helping you." He knew it would take his dad a few minutes to get there and he was glad for the chance to come up with what he would say. The angel was still watching him. "Finish your sandwich. You may not be able to take it with you."

Castiel looked at his food again and picked it up for another tentative bite. Dean smiled as he tried to think of what he would say. His parents didn't dislike angels but having one like a pet wasn't something they wanted. They didn't view them as animals to be owned, but as people just like humans. But would his dad make him abandon the angel to the street just because he didn't like the idea of owning an angel?


	2. Chapter 2

A/N- Throughout this story, I use several forms of communication. When there is spoken conversation, it's in quotes like normal. When something is written down, typed on a computer, or texted, _it is written in italics like this._ When angels are speaking to each other telepathically, 'it will be written like this with one apostrophe.' When sign language is being used, _'it will be in italics between a single apostrophe like this.'_ As you are reading, this will probably become a lot more clear.

It was twenty minutes later when his dad pulled up in his police cruiser. Castiel had finished his sandwich and was sitting at the table with a nervous look in his eyes. Missouri was standing near him with a hand on his shoulder for comfort as Dean waited by the door. He had some of what he might say ready in his mind, but most of that flew out the window when he opened the door and saw his dad stalking up to the house.

"Dad…" Dean stepped back as John pushed his way through the door.

"Are you hurt?" He cut him off sharply.

"What?"

"Are you hurt?" Dean shook his head. He sighed and relaxed. "Good. What's wrong with you? Why would you run off like that in the middle of the night?" Relief for his son's safety was evident in his voice, but John knew the dangers of the city at night.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to go so far. I forgot my phone at home and I didn't know where to go."

"Yeah, I know." John held his phone out to him with a missed call on the screen. "You didn't even take a jacket."

"I'm okay. I need to tell you something, why I didn't call sooner." Dean had hoped to tell him before he saw the angel, but Missouri's door was too close to the table and John looked around and saw him sitting at the table with his bandaged wing sticking out to the side.

He walked around Dean and looked at Missouri. "Who's this?"

Missouri looked at Dean. "Let your boy tell you."

John furrowed his brows and turned back to Dean. "Dean?"

Dean took a breath and tried to keep his voice steady. "His name is Castiel. When I was on my way back, there were a bunch of guys attacking him. I chased them off and I brought him here." He saw his dad making to say something, but he talked over him. "His wing was broken and I couldn't just leave him there. Look at him, Dad, he has to have been on the street for years."

John held up a hand. "Who were the boys?"

"I don't know. I've never seen them before."

He nodded. "So, what are you planning to do?" John could tell by Dean's voice that he had been meaning to tell him something, and he could guess what it might be.

"Castiel is coming home with us." Dean kept his eyes on his dad and didn't waver.

"Is he?"

"Yes." Dean raised a brow in challenge.

"Dean, the angel most likely has an owner. We can't just take him."

"What, an owner that left him on the streets without trying to find him?"

"He could've run away."

"Why would he do that unless he had a bad owner?"

"Dean!" John cut him off and put up a hand. "If he has a legal owner, he must be returned. We're going to the station in the morning and checking his records."

"But, Dad…"

"No, that's the end of it." He turned back to Missouri. "Can you watch him for the night and I'll come back tomorrow and pick him up?"

"Why is it okay for him to stay here and not with us?!" Dean walked around his dad to face him.

"I'm the sheriff, Dean. I have to follow different rules sometimes."

"We've already discussed this, John." Missouri kept her hand on Castiel's shoulder as the angel grew more worried by the shouting voices. "I run a business here and I can't have an angel following me around while I got customers. Some of them don't like them and won't come back." She looked down as Castiel looked at her. "I'm sorry, sweetheart. It's nothing personal."

"I'm talking about one night."

"I'm telling you I can't." She looked at Dean and silently encouraged him.

"Dad, he can sleep in my room, wear my clothes, eat my food if he has to. Please, let me help him."

John sighed and glanced at the angel. His head was bowed and his hands were clenched tightly together on his lap. He could see him shaking in fear. Sympathy crept through him. "Why do you care so much about this angel?"

"His name is Castiel. I care because after saving his life and the abuse of the street, I owed him more than just tossing him back into that, especially with his broken wing." He could see his dad coming around, but he needed more. "He's staying with me. Even if I have to walk home with him, he's coming with me."

John could see that Dean wasn't lying. He had been so relieved when he had known Dean was safe. He didn't want to fight with him now. "Fine, he can stay for the night. In the morning we'll talk about what's gonna happen. Come on." He turned away from them and headed to the door.

Dean let out a shaky breath, his heart pounding hard in his chest, and turned to look at Castiel. "Let's go." He held out a hand to the angel.

Castiel looked at the hand and back up to Missouri. She nodded to him and stepped away. Castiel reached a shaking hand out and grabbed Dean's and stood up. He kept his head down and moved close to stand behind Dean, tightening his grip on his hand.

"Thank you, Missouri, for everything." Dean started to walk the angel towards the door when Missouri put a hand on his shoulder.

"Here, take this," she handed him a couple bottles of liquid and bandages, "for the pain, and you'll have to change those bandages eventually."

"We'll just have him tonight, though." Dean closed his hands around the items.

Missouri smiled. "Of course." She patted his arm and chuckled. She looked at Castiel and nodded. "You'll be safe now, dear."

Dean furrowed his brows and was about to ask what she meant when his dad called for him to hurry up. "Bye."

"Goodnight." Missouri stayed in her doorway and waved to them as they all entered the car.

Castiel was in the backseat to have room for the wing he couldn't wrap around him. His head was down during the drive as tension seemed to build between Dean and his father.

Dean was forming retorts in preparation for anything his dad might say on the way home. He had expected a lot more of an argument already and was nervous as his dad just kept driving silently. He glanced back at Castiel and was glad that the angel would at least have a warm place to stay tonight.

As they pulled into the driveway, Dean felt himself bracing for the worst. Surely now his dad would make the angel leave.

"Dean," John turned off the engine and looked at him, "I hope you understand why we can't just take this angel in. If he has an owner, we have to check."

"He's not a piece of property, dad."

"I know, but legally he most likely belongs to someone else. I can't ignore that." He glanced at the angel, who was still looking at the floor. "I'm sorry." He got out of the car and walked to the door where Mary was already waiting.

Dean looked at Castiel. "Don't worry. I'll make sure nothing happens to you ever again."

Castiel looked up and wanted to believe him, but he wasn't sure if he could. He simply looked back down and waited as Dean got out of the car and opened his door to help him out.

Castiel held Dean's hand as they neared the house. He had to walk slow and shivered as the cold wind blew around him. He crowded closer to Dean and wrapped his good wing around him.

Dean was glad to be home but felt his heart sink when he saw his mother's face as his dad explained everything to her. He couldn't imagine how worried she must've been. She talked to John for a minute before he walked inside and she smiled to them.

"Dean, I'm glad you're okay." She stepped closer and put her hands on his shoulders. "You really had us scared."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be gone so long or so far." He let go of Castiel's hand and hugged his mom.

"I just wanted this to be a good birthday dinner." She rubbed his back slowly.

"My birthday was a few days ago."

"But we were celebrating tonight." Mary pulled back and raised a brow at her son. "It was the night we would all be here together this week."

Dean nodded in guilt. "Yeah," he glanced at Castiel, "let's go inside."

The boys followed Mary inside and she shut the door. She walked back towards the kitchen and Dean followed, still waiting for her word on the angel issue. John was in the kitchen with a beer and she shooed him away from the sink so she could get the clean dishes.

"First thing in the morning, we're taking him to the station and checking on his owner." He waited for Dean to nod before heading to his room to change for bed.

Dean waited for the door to close before moving closer to his mom. "So, let me hear it."

"Hear what?" Mary closed the cabinet after putting the dishes up and wiped the counter around the sink.

"Whatever you have to say about Castiel." The defeat must've been clear in his voice because Mary turned to face him with a frown.

"Is that his name?" She looked at the angel that seemed attached to Dean's side. He was holding Dean's elbow and had his head bowed enough that he was partially hidden behind Dean's shoulder. Dean didn't seem to notice how close he was.

"Yes."

She nodded and walked around Dean to get a good look at the angel. "Hello, Castiel. Welcome to the Winchester house. I am more than happy to have you here as long as you want." She smiled as Dean's eyes widened in surprise.

"He's staying?"

"We need to check with his owner first. If he needs to be returned, we'll have to. I'd be happy for him to stay, Dean, but we already have four people living here on a limited budget. It wouldn't be easy to make it five."

"But not impossible, right?" Dean's heart began to race with hope. "I'll help around the house, pay for anything he needs, and he'll be my responsibility."

"How would you pay, Dean?" She gave him an amused smile.

"I'll get a job! I'm old enough now and I have the Impala so you won't have to drive me anywhere and I'll take Sam to school and…"

"Sweetheart," Mary grabbed his face gently and chuckled, "I know. Don't worry about any of that right now. Just go on up to bed." She leaned forward and kissed his forehead.

Dean nodded and walked over to the stairs. Castiel tightened his grip and stayed close behind him. His room was the first door at the top of the stairs and he had just opened his door when Sam's door opened at the end of the hall.

His eleven year old brother poked his head out. "Dean, you're back." His eyes widened comically when he saw Castiel. "Whoa!" He ran down the hall to stand next to Dean. Castiel moved closer to Dean's back.

"Sam, relax." The grip on his arm had tightened painfully. "He's nervous." He knew his brother was a little obsessed with angels and didn't want him scaring Castiel.

"Where did he come from? Is he staying here?" He turned hopeful eyes to Dean.

"I'm not sure yet. I hope so. Go back to bed. It's too late for you to be up." Sam deflated and turned to walk back to his room.

Dean shook his head and walked into his room. Castiel only let go when the door was shut. Dean looked around the room and quickly found the extra pillows and blanket that his mother insists on him having even though he never had a use for them before. He picked them up and looked at where he could make a bed for the angel.

"Sorry I can't offer you better than a blanket and pillow." He moved a lounge chair he had shoved in the corner over to face the room and smiled at Castiel. "I know it's not much, but we'll get you a mattress and stuff later."

Castiel hadn't moved from the door as Dean made a place for him to sleep. He watched in disbelief and didn't make to move closer.

Dean frowned. "If that doesn't work, you can sleep on the bed. I've fallen asleep on that chair more than once and it wouldn't bother me."

Castiel shook his head rapidly and raised his hands. He walked over and took the blanket from Dean. He grabbed Dean and moved him to sit on the bed and Castiel sat on the chair.

"Okay, I guess the chair works?" Castiel nodded. "Good." Dean stood and picked up his pajamas off the floor. "I'm gonna go change." He wouldn't normally go to the bathroom, but he didn't want to change in front of Castiel.

He came back to find Castiel nestled into his blanket on the chair, his broken wing angled out so it wasn't stuck in the back of the chair. Dean smiled and turned off the light and sat on his bed.

Dean had one window in his room and it happened to be behind Castiel so the angel was the only thing visible in the moonlight coming through. His eyes adjusted slowly to the darkness and he could just make out his face.

"Hey, so I'm assuming you've had your vocal cords removed?" Castiel nodded. "Did your last owner do that?" He nodded again. "Was he bad?" He paused briefly before nodding slowly. "Did you run away?" He shook his head and looked away from him. "I'm sorry."

Dean had a bad feeling in his gut at the thought of how Castiel ended up on the street. Of course, if his previous owner had thrown him out, he probably wouldn't want him back. "Your life is gonna be a lot better from now on, promise."

He rolled onto his other side after saying that, so he missed the hopeful look on the angel's face. It was the best night of sleep the angel had had in years.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N- Throughout this story, I use several forms of communication. When there is spoken conversation, it's in quotes like normal. When something is written down, typed on a computer, or texted, _it is written in italics like this._ When angels are speaking to each other telepathically, 'it will be written like this with one apostrophe.' When sign language is being used, _'it will be in italics between a single apostrophe like this.'_ As you are reading, this will probably become a lot more clear.

Dean opened his eyes slowly and inhaled sharply when he saw Castiel's face hovering over his. "Jesus!" He moved back as Castiel stood quickly. "You scared the shit out of me."

Castiel bit his lip in worry and stepped away from the bed.

Dean rubbed his eyes in frustration. He knew it was really early, much earlier than he would like. "What's wrong?" He watched as Castiel seemed to be hopping between his feet. "You look like you need to pee."

Castiel nodded and tugged at his worn shirt. Dean laughed.

"Then go." Castiel looked at him in confusion. "It's the next room down the hall." Dean waved in the direction of the door. "You don't need my permission to use the bathroom." He set a firm look at the angel to let him know he was serious. He nodded and hurried to the bathroom.

Dean felt a small pull of sadness for the angel. What must his previous owner been like if he couldn't even pee without permission? He sighed and rolled onto his stomach. It was too early to get up.

He must've fallen asleep, because the next time he opened his eyes, Castiel was sitting on the chair again buried under his blanket and watching Dean. Since he was properly awake now, Dean saw something he missed earlier.

"That looks like it really hurts." Dean pointed to his cheek. Castiel's face was dark with bruises around his cheekbones and left eye. They had darkened overnight. Castiel just shrugged.

Dean sat up and pushed his covers off. "I've heard that angels heal faster than humans. Is that true?" Castiel nodded. "That's good. At least it won't hurt as long as it could." The angel shrugged again. It bothered Dean how the angel seemed so conditioned to pain.

He yawned and looked at his clock. It was 8:30 and late enough that his mom probably had breakfast waiting for him. He slipped off the bed and walked to the door. "Come on." He beckoned Castiel with a hand.

The angel furrowed his brows before slowly standing from the chair. He lowered his head and fell in next to Dean. He sighed and opened the door to go get some breakfast.

The smell of pancakes hit him before his bare foot hit the last step of the stairs. Dean's stomach grumbled and he smiled. Castiel had a hand on Dean's shoulder as they descended the stairs and rounded the corner to the kitchen.

Mary was taking the pancakes out of the pan as they entered. Sam was sitting at the counter behind her with a full plate and chattering away about his science project. They both looked up when Dean and Castiel entered.

"Good morning." Mary smiled and plated the fresh pancakes. "Just in time." She handed Dean a plate.

"Thanks." He walked over and sat next to Sam with his food.

Castiel made to follow but stopped when Mary spoke.

"Hey, you too." She held out a plate of steaming food.

Castiel's eyes widened and he looked between Dean and Mary, unsure of what to do.

"Take it before she changes her mind." Dean smiled.

He took the plate carefully and nodded once in thanks. Mary smiled and turned back to make more for John. Castiel shuffled across the floor to take a seat beside Dean, who was pouring a massive amount of syrup on his pancakes.

Dean was about to take his first mouthful when he noticed how Castiel just stared at his food like he couldn't believe it was really there. He put his fork down and nudged the angel. "Eat it before it gets cold." He slid the syrup closer to him.

Mary set a fork and knife next to him and nodded in encouragement. Castiel looked at the three faces staring at him and quickly grew nervous and had to look away. He picked up the syrup and drowned his pancakes, like Dean had done.

Sam looked at his mother. "So, can I go to Brady's tonight?"

Mary turned back to tend to the pancakes cooking. "Did you finish your homework?"

He paused a little too long. "Yes."

Dean huffed out a laugh as Mary turned slowly with a raised brow. "Try that again?" Sam was never good at lying to her.

"I have most of it done." The whine in Sam's voice grew in volume. "Can't I just finish it tomorrow?"

She shook her head. "No, because it'll be Sunday and you never want to do any work on Sunday night."

"I'll do it. I promise."

"I know you will." She flipped the pancakes. "It'll be done before you go."

Sam sagged in defeat. "Yeah, okay." He picked at his remaining food with a frown.

Dean patted his back in sympathy and then ruffled his hair just to annoy him. Sam smacked his hands away and Dean tried to get a hold of him again.

Castiel looked up in worry as they both stood up and Sam tried to run as Dean grabbed him, easily picking him up off the ground.

"Let me go!" Sam kicked his feet and pulled at Dean's hold.

Dean laughed and set Sam down using both hands to mess up his long hair. Sam turned and pushed Dean away, causing another round of almost wrestling.

"Boys, calm down." Mary didn't have to turn around to know what her boys were doing. "It's too early for this."

"Sorry, mom." Sam gave Dean one last push before running up the stairs to his room.

Dean chuckled and sat back down to eat. Castiel was watching him with a worried look. "Don't worry. We fight because we love each other." He smiled at Castiel's even more confused look. "Just eat."

"Dean, I think you should have Castiel take a shower before you go to the station, and let him borrow some clothes." She smiled at the angel.

It was obvious that Castiel hadn't been properly clean for a long time and had been wearing the same clothes just as long. It would be nice if he could at least feel somewhat clean again, especially if he wasn't able to stay with them.

"Yeah, that should be doable." She smiled at Dean and took the fresh food to John. Dean turned to Castiel and watched the angel eagerly eat the pancakes. "Good, huh?"

Castiel looked at Dean and nodded. He couldn't remember the last time he'd had a hot, fresh meal.

"Good."

Once they were done eating, they went back up to Dean's room. He looked in his dresser for a shirt he could let Castiel wear. He pulled out an old pair of jeans, underwear, and socks that the angel was holding behind him. He was looking for a shirt that buttoned in the front that he could tear open for the angel's wings.

"Aha!" Dean found one that he hadn't worn for a couple years. It was a plaid shirt that Dean had gotten as a present years before and only worn a couple times. He nodded and held it up to the angel to check the size. It would be big on him, but that would work.

"Let's go." Dean led Castiel to the bathroom and put the clothes on the counter by the sink. "Okay, towels are here," he pointed to the drawer above the toilet, "and you can just leave your old clothes on the floor by the door and we'll throw them away."

Castiel nodded and opened the drawer with the towels. Dean looked down at Castiel's feet and saw a part of his shoe move apart from the bottom, exposing his toes.

"I'll find you a pair of shoes to wear too. Yours look shot." He pointed to his feet.

Castiel glanced down and moved his toes, making the flap of his shoe open and shut.

"I'm assuming you can handle this alone, right?" Dean honestly didn't know what kind of care Castiel had growing up.

The angel nodded with a small smile. "Good. I do think I should help you get that old shirt off though." It was full of holes and would require being pulled up over his head, which would be almost impossible with his broken wing. "I think I might need to just cut it off. Hang on."

Castiel didn't like the sound of that. He stood in the middle of the bathroom as Dean went to his room. His body started shaking as he waited.

Dean returned with his pocket knife in hand. When he flipped it open, Castiel jumped back with wide terrified eyes.

"Whoa, take it easy." Dean held his hand up and stilled his movements. "It's okay. I won't hurt you." Castiel stared at the knife in mistrust and kept his distance.

"I understand that you're worried, but I'm very good with this. I just need to cut the shirt a couple times so we don't have to pull it over your head." He kept still and looked Castiel in the eye. "Trust me."

It took the angel a few moments, but he finally took a couple steps closer to Dean. When he could reach the shirt, Dean held the edge gently and pulled it away from his skin so he didn't cut him and made a quick swipe through the fabric.

A few cuts later, Dean was able to pull the broken shirt off the angel and dropped it in a pile by the door. Without the cover, the angel's emaciated state was more obvious. He was incredibly thin and his abdomen was covered in bruises and cuts from the fight. But there were older scars over his chest and back when he turned to face the tub that made Dean feel sick as he thought of the abuse that had to have happened to leave those marks.

"I'll leave you to it then. If you need anything, I'm here." Dean smiled and left the angel alone in the bathroom.

Mary was writing out a grocery list in the living room when Dean came down the stairs. She glanced up. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah, he's taking a shower." He sat on the couch next to his mother. "I gave him some old clothes to wear."

She nodded as she wrote another item down. "Good. Hopefully that'll make him feel a little better." She looked up when Dean just nodded and made a noise in agreement. "What?"

He sighed and leaned back into the couch. "Castiel has an owner, mom."

She put her pen down and looked at Dean in understanding.

"He told me. I know we'll find the record of it and dad will make me return him."

"You knew that was a possibility."

"He can't go back. His last owner was a jerk and removed his vocal cords. Castiel didn't run away either, he was thrown out." Dean's voice rose as he grew angrier. "I just don't understand how we can be expected to give him back to someone like that."

"Dean," Mary grabbed his hands gently, "nothing has happened yet. Try not to get upset before anything is decided." Dean rolled his eyes and turned his head away. "And don't get angry with your father. He's just doing his job."

"I know." Mary patted his hands before turning back to her list. Dean really did understand. He knew that his dad had to play by the book or risk his job, but he could only imagine what Castiel had been through and he didn't want to throw him back into it. "I need to go find a pair of shoes for him to wear." He stood and returned to his room.

Dean searched through his closet for a decent pair of shoes that he wouldn't miss. He didn't have many to pick from, but he finally found a pair of sneakers he hadn't worn for a long time. He sat on his bed and waited for the angel to finish in the bathroom.

He had waited about twenty minutes when he decided to bring his shoes out to the hallway. He just shut the door behind him when the bathroom door opened and Castiel's head popped out with a worried look on his face.

"Hey, you okay?" Dean could tell he didn't have a shirt on and his hair was still dripping wet. He was hiding behind the doorway, as if worried someone other than Dean might see him. "Do you need help with something?" He nodded and looked at the floor, like he was ashamed to ask.

Dean smiled and made his way to the angel. "I'll help you."

Castiel stepped away from the door as Dean got closer. Dean closed the bathroom door as he entered and put his shoes on the ground. The angel had put on the jeans and socks Dean gave him, but was holding the shirt and glaring at it.

"Can't get the shirt on over that bad wing, huh?" The angel nodded. Dean thought that might be a problem. "Here, let's do this first." Dean picked up a towel and dropped it on top of Castiel's head.

The angel tensed as Dean roughly ran the towel over his hair and dried it. He was careful to avoid his bruised face. He then tossed the wet towel behind him and took the shirt from Castiel. He walked around to his left side and gently slid the shirt over the angel's good wing and tapped his arm so he would lift it and Dean helped him get it in the shirt.

Dean then moved behind Castiel and lifted the shirt's opening over the injured wing and slowly moved it over, only brushing the bone slightly, making Castiel flinch. "Sorry." After that he was able to get Castiel's other arm into the shirt and let him button up the front.

"I brought you new shoes too." Dean pointed to them and smiled. Castiel nodded while focusing on his top button. "I'll be downstairs whenever you're ready. I'm sure my dad will want to go soon." His smile fell as he spoke and Castiel looked up as his voice changed. He quickly opened the door and retreated downstairs before Castiel read too much into it.

The three of them were on the way to the police station a few minutes later and none of them made a sound. Dean knew what would happen but was trying to keep his anger until after he was forced to send Castiel away. John had a feeling he knew what would happen as well, but he didn't want to make Dean upset yet.

John led them into the building, ignoring the strange looks a few of the officers gave them at the sight of Castiel. He kept up a fast pace as they neared his office.

"Morning, Sheriff." Jody Mills smiled as John sighed and turned to her. She was a new officer, fresh from the academy and John could already tell she was going to be one of the good ones. "Isn't today your day off?" She smiled and sipped her coffee.

"You never saw me." He unlocked his office and let Dean and Castiel inside. "As far as anyone else is concerned, I'm not here."

Jody laughed. "Yes, sir."

John closed his door and the shades on the widows to his office before sitting at his desk and turning his computer on. Dean and Castiel were sitting on the chairs across from him. "Castiel, all I'll need you to do is come and let me scan your finger." He took out the small machine from his desk and held a hand out for Castiel.

Castiel glanced at Dean before standing and holding his hand out and extending his index finger. John gently pressed the tip of his finger against the scanner until it beeped and a page opened on his computer. He let go of him and looked over the file that had opened.

Dean felt his stomach drop when Castiel closed his eyes and dropped his head. John had found his owner's file that showed his ownership of Castiel. Anger grew inside Dean and he was ready to fight to keep the angel away from the past owner.

"Dean," John was frowning, "it looks like Castiel has an owner. Gregory Tully got Castiel from a breeder when he was eight and still legally owns him."

Castiel still had his eyes closed and his hands clasped together in front of him. Dean had to bite his cheek to keep from saying something he'd regret.

"I have to call him." He looked at Dean, wanting him to understand how his hands were tied in the matter. Dean just nodded.

As John dialed, Dean looked at Castiel and saw the angel's lip shake slightly and his wings wrapped close to his body. He could tell he was scared and upset, but what could he do to help him?

"Hello, is this Gregory Tully?" John opened the man's record and didn't see much of anything against the man, officially.

"Yeah, who's this?" The man's voice was gruff with irritation.

"This is Sheriff Winchester. I'm calling to ask you about the angel Castiel."

The man snorted. "What about him?"

"We found him yesterday and were calling to make you aware since you are still in legal ownership of him."

"Right. I never got around to fixing that. I honestly thought he'd be dead by now."

John's skin crawled at the man's statement and he opened a few links on the man's file and found he owned quite a few angels over the years, but never for more than a few years. He seemed to always get them around seven or eight.

"Surely you're not implying that you had any intention of causing his death by throwing him onto the streets?"

"Of course not." His tone was sarcastic and John could practically see him rolling his eyes.

"Can I ask what he did to deserve to be left on the street then?"

"Nothing. He was always very obedient." John bit his tongue. "It was more of that he didn't really work for me anymore."

"Can I assume then that you'd like to wave your ownership of him?" If he said no, John would come up with a reason not to let this man ever see Castiel again. He did not like him one bit.

"I couldn't care any less."

"Great. Thank you." John slammed the phone down before he could hear another word from him and took a deep breath.

Dean was leaning forward with a small hope pounding in his chest. Castiel had his eyes open and seemed more relaxed. "Well?"

"Congratulation, Castiel," John looked at the angel, "you never have to see that ass again."

Castiel's wings dropped in relief and Dean smiled and laughed. "He didn't want him?"

John shook his head and started filling out the paperwork that would free Castiel. "No, and after hearing what he had to say, I wasn't going to let him go back anyway."

Dean looked at Castiel and saw the angel's eyes widen and look away. He wondered how bad it had to have been for Castiel. Dean turned back to his dad. "So…?"

John paused his typing. He knew what Dean was asking. "Do you really think you can handle this kind of responsibility?"

"Yes!" Dean stood up. "I'll help in every way I can and I'll get a job."

He nodded. "He'll be your responsibility."

"Yes."

"Okay. I'll set it up here."

"Dad," Dean felt a little strange about actually owning the angel, "do we have to do all this? Can't we just take care of him and treat him like another person? I don't want to own him like he's some kind of slave."

"I know. Unfortunately, the law requires it if we're gonna take proper care of him. To send him for medical visits and housing when you go to college and after. We see him as an individual, but a lot of other people still don't. I'm sorry."

Dean knew he was right, but he still didn't like the idea of owning someone else. He would find a way to fix that later. Right now he just needed to keep the angel safe. "Fine."

It didn't take very long to get the paperwork done. The only thing they needed to do was to have Castiel checked for any sickness at the clinic and to take a current picture. They agreed to wait until Castiel was healed more before doing either one of those things.

The ride home was just as quiet as the ride to the station but the atmosphere in the car was different: happier. John seemed relaxed as he drove and Dean had his head turned to the window with a small smile on his face. Even Castiel looked calm as Dean glanced at the angel's reflection in the rear view mirror.

John parked his car in the driveway and went inside to tell Mary about what had happened. Dean and Castiel got out of the car and Dean put a hand on Castiel' shoulder and smiled.

"You're safe now, Castiel. No one will ever hurt you again." The angel stared at him like he wasn't sure he could believe it. Dean squeezed his shoulder briefly before turning to follow his dad inside.

Castiel watched Dean walk away and tears welled up in his eyes. Nobody had ever cared so much about him and he wanted to believe what he said, but past experience made him doubt. Of course, nothing could be worse than what he'd already been through and he saw no deceit in Dean.

Dean glanced back as he entered the house and realized that Castiel was still standing in the driveway. He turned back, suddenly worried that he wouldn't come in.

"Castiel," the angel looked up like he had been snapped out of a thought, "you coming in or not?"

Castiel nodded and hurried to catch up to Dean.


	4. Chapter 4

Sam had been overly excited at the news of Castiel staying and Mary seemed very pleased that everything had worked out well for everyone. John had decided not to tell them what Castiel's owner had been like on the phone. They all smiled at the angel and let him know how glad they were that he would be a part of the family.

Dean and John then went out to the garage to see if they still had a spare mattress or cot for Castiel to use as Castiel was given a tour of the house by a smiling Sam. They did manage to find an air mattress they had only used once on a camping trip.

Dean had taken the box up to his room and felt Castiel grab his arm lightly once he was in sight again. He chuckled as the angel followed closely with Sam right behind. He could tell that the eager kid was making Castiel nervous but he didn't want to crush Sam by telling him to go away.

The three of them entered Dean's room and Sam immediately jumped up to sit at Dean's desk by the foot of his bed. Castiel stayed close to Dean as he set the box on the floor and sat to unload the contents.

"So, he's gonna be staying for sure?" Sam rocked back and forth on his chair.

"Yeah," Dean opened the box and coughed as dust flew off of it, "I signed the paperwork and everything."

"He had an owner though, right? Why didn't he take him back? Why did he lose him in the first place?"

"I don't know, Sam." He felt Castiel move around behind him and felt the tip of his wing brush by him. "It doesn't matter anymore."

"Is he gonna go to school with you? Some kids at my school bring their angels with them."

"I doubt it." Dean pushed the box away after pulling out the folded up mattress.

Sam shifted to a kneeling position on the chair and rested his chin on the back of it. "Do you know how old he is? I've heard that angels age differently and live a lot longer."

"He's seventeen." Dean had checked the file when he was signing it. "You probably know more about angels than I do, Sam."

"I've read about them, sure," he smiled and opened his arms, "but now we have an angel and we can find out what's true."

Dean glanced up as movement caught his eye. Castiel had been backing away slowly since he sat down and was now close to the wall across the room and was staring at the floor. Sam had continued with questions until Dean finally stood up.

"Sam, don't you have homework to finish?" That shut him up fast.

"I'm almost done."

"Almost won't get you to Brady's will it?" Sam opened his mouth to protest but rolled his eyes and stood from the chair. He went back to his room and Dean could see Castiel relax.

"You know that he wouldn't hurt you, right?" Castiel shrugged. "I know he can be a bit much. He's just a kid. I'll try to make sure he doesn't tackle you in a hug or something."

Dean laughed as Castiel's eyes widened in fear. He was able to get the air mattress laid out on the floor next to his bed. It was plenty big for the angel and his wings. He had shared the mattress with Sam a couple years ago on a camping trip and they both had room to not hit each other. He would inflate it later that night.

He spent the next few hours working on some of his own homework. After the first few minutes, he turned to Castiel, who was sitting on the lounge chair, and asked him if he wanted to go downstairs to watch TV. He shook his head.

"This will be pretty boring." Castiel shook his head. "Here." Dean tossed him a remote. He had a small TV on his dresser that didn't get cable but he could watch movies on it. Castiel caught the remote on instinct and Dean smiled as the angel looked it over curiously.

Dean stood and walked over to turn the TV on and opened his drawer of DVDs. "Go ahead and pick anything you want to watch and put it in. It won't bother me any."

Castiel stayed in the lounge chair, clutching the remote like he was terrified to drop it and looked wary to stand.

"Come on. A little noise is good for my concentration anyway." He held out a hand to Castiel. The angel finally stood up and walked over to the DVDs. "Whatever you want to watch." He nodded to him and went back to sit at his desk.

Castiel looked at the rows of movies and shows and felt completely lost. He took a few off the shelf and looked over the covers with a furrowed brow. He had no idea what to do.

Dean looked up after a few moments and watched as the angel searched with an overwhelmed expression. A thought hit Dean then and he felt like an ass. He stood up and moved to stand next to the angel.

"Can you read?" The angel kept his eyes down and shook his head. Of course, hardly any owners bothered to educate their angels about anything but how to obey the spoken language, and given Castiel's seemingly abusive past, it was no surprise that he was never taught to read.

He spent the next few minutes reading the descriptions of several movies and shows, along with his own reviews, before Castiel chose a couple he would want to watch. Dean showed him how to put the disk into the player and what button to push to play it, pause it, stop it, and to control the volume.

It took Dean a little longer than usual to finish his assignments as he kept looking at Castiel to see his reactions to certain jokes and moments. The angel seemed transfixed with every moment, and Dean wondered if he had ever watched a movie.

There was a knock on his door before his mom walked into the room. "Hey, I was going to take Sam to Brady's and then go get groceries. Do you want to come with me and we can get some clothes for Castiel?"

Dean turned to look at Castiel. "You up to going shopping?" Castiel seemed confused by the question. "If you'd rather stay here, that's fine." He shook his head and turned off the movie that was playing.

"Okay, we'll be leaving in about twenty minutes." Mary smiled and shut the door behind her.

Dean put his books back into his school bag and stood. He looked at Castiel as the angel winced in pain and shifted his hurt wing. He hadn't done anything for that since Missouri took care of him.

"Is that hurting again?" Dean pointed to his wing. The angel shrugged. "Sit down." Dean pointed to his bed and waited for the angel to sit before turning back to his desk to find the supplies Missouri had given him. He found some of the stuff she had put on for the pain.

Dean moved around behind Castiel and knelt on the bed by his wing. The angel tensed slightly but didn't move. Dean opened the bottle and put the lid on the bed. "I'm gonna touch your wing a little, just to make sure it stays still."

He waited for the angel to nod in understanding before gently holding the broken wing up with a few of his fingers. Dean held the open bottle over the bandages and let a few drops fall and soak through. He waited a few moments before dropping a few more drops and felt the angel relax as the pain was relieved slightly.

"Better?" Castiel nodded. Dean smiled and closed the container and stood from the bed. "Let's go." He dropped it back on his desk and led Castiel downstairs to wait to leave with his mom.

Mary pulled up to Brady's house about half an hour later. Sam was in the front and quickly jumped out of the car. He waved to them all as he made his way to the front door. Dean got out to take the front seat and give Castiel more space in the back.

When they reached the store, Castiel seemed wary to get out of the car. There were a lot of people in the parking lot and he didn't want them looking at him.

Dean could see the angel hesitating and opened the back door for him and extended a hand. "Come on. You'll be fine. My mom and I will be with you the whole time."

Castiel glanced around a little longer before reaching out to take Dean's hand and climbed out of the car. He held his hand tight and moved to stand close behind his arm.

Mary smiled as the angel got as close to Dean as possible before moving to her. They walked in together and most people didn't give them a second look. It wasn't that uncommon to see angels with their owners in town. Most of them didn't look long enough to notice the broken wing or bruised face, and Castiel hid that well behind Dean.

"Okay, so I have a list I'll be getting in the food section. Why don't you take Castiel to the clothing section and find a bunch of stuff for him to try on and we'll see what we can do?" Dean nodded and Mary took the cart and walked off to the other side of the store.

Dean and Castiel walked over to the clothing and had to search for a minute to find the section with shirts made for angel wings. It wasn't a huge selection but it would do.

"Just take a look and if you find anything you like, just take it and we'll show my mom." Dean started looking through the rack and Castiel copied his actions.

They had been looking a few minutes and found a few shirts when a man walked by and snickered. "You know, you should really have him on a leash."

Dean looked up and saw a man in his late forties with a scowl on his face and a young female angel on a short leash behind him. He immediately moved closer to Castiel.

"They're much easier to manage that way." He tugged on his leash for emphasis and the angel jerked, almost losing her footing.

Anger boiled inside him and he had to take a breath before he let himself speak. "Maybe if you treated her like a person and not a possession, you wouldn't need a leash to manage her."

The man laughed. "A person? Is that what you think they are?"

Castiel's forehead touched Dean's shoulder as he cowered behind him. "I know that's what they are, asshole." The angel behind the man looked at him with the same shock Castiel had when he asked him to come back with him.

"You're a stupid child." He shook his head like he felt sorry for Dean and walked away with his angel in tow.

Dean glared at the man's back until he was out of sight. He then turned to look at Castiel, who was still behind him. His head was down and his hands were shaking.

"Hey," Dean touched his shoulder gently, "look at me." He kept his voice quiet and calm to not scare him. Castiel lifted his eyes to Dean and he saw fear swimming in them.

He met his eyes and held the gaze. "I would never put a leash on you, never. I think it's disgusting and wrong. Don't let that guy get to you." He could feel Castiel shaking under his hand, but he nodded in understanding and Dean took a step back.

"Let me see what you've got." He smiled to try and relax the angel. He took the shirts Castiel was holding and looked at them. One was a plain green shirt that buttoned up the front and the other was black and zipped up the back. "These are nice." Castiel shrugged and looked back at the rack. Dean added the two shirts to the few he had.

They eventually made their way to the jeans and grabbed a few pair. Mary found them a little later as they were looking at some other shoes for the angel.

"Get a good haul, boys?" She smiled and looked at them both.

"Sure did." Dean dropped the pile of clothing into the cart.

Mary's eyebrows shot up. "Wow. That was more than I expected." She laughed as Castiel looked away shyly. "Let's go try them on."

They all made their way to the fitting rooms. Dean put all the clothes in the room for him. "If you need anything, we'll be waiting outside." He smiled and nodded before leaving the angel to change.

Mary and Dean had been waiting a few minutes and Dean kept looking back at the door to the fitting room like he was waiting to see the angel come out.

"You know, I've noticed that Castiel stays pretty close to you. He seems terrified of everyone else." She smiled as Dean furrowed his brows.

"Of course he does. It's probably because I stopped those guys from beating him up and had to argue with dad to get him to let us take Castiel home. His last owner was a dick who probably scarred him for life. Why would he like anyone ever again?"

Mary nodded but seemed to notice something behind Dean. She motioned with her head and Dean turned to see Castiel looking out of the fitting room.

"You need help?" Castiel nodded. Dean looked back at Mary.

"Go ahead. I'm gonna go get some socks and underwear for him." She smiled and patted his arm.

Dean went to the fitting room, locking the door behind him after Castiel let him in. He was having trouble with his shirt. Dean helped him try on his shirts and with the closer look he saw more scars on Castiel and he wished that he could ask the angel about it, but that wasn't an option.

"One more." Dean picked up a shirt that he had picked out. It was solid blue with long sleeves and zipped up the back. It seemed plain but the color was striking to Dean and he thought it would look good.

He helped the angel maneuver the shirt over his wings and zipped it up between his wings. When his hand reached the top, a mark around the angel's neck caught his eye. It ran around his neck in a circle and was a few inches in height. The shape would fit a collar or leash and the only way it would leave a mark for that long was if it was worn for longer than Dean could fathom.

Dean snapped out of his thoughts when Castiel's wings moved in front of him. He looked at the mirror and the reflection of the angel in it. Castiel was looking himself over with a critical eye. Dean smiled into the mirror.

"It looks nice, Cas. It makes your eyes seem even bluer." He smiled again and looked at the clothing left on the bench in the changing room. "So, go ahead and pick what you want to get so I can show my mom."

Dean left Castiel alone to pick out what he wanted and found his mom waiting for them. "Did he find some good ones?"

"Yeah, he's making the final choices now."

She smiled. "Good."

Castiel came out of the dressing room with most of the clothing he went in with. Mary's eyebrows went up in surprise. "My goodness, so many?" Castiel looked nervous suddenly and looked at the clothing in worry. "No, don't look like that. You'll get them all." She took the shirts and pants from the angel with a reassuring nod. They made a quick trip to pick out a couple good pairs of shoes for Castiel before heading back to the car.

On the way home, they drove through Dean's favorite burger place for lunch. Dean smiled and ate some of his fries. He saw Castiel watching him curiously and held out a fry to him. "Want one?"

Castiel eyed the fry nervously. Dean laughed softly and shook the fry. "Try it." He grabbed it carefully and ate it. He had never eaten anything like it before. Dean was smiling at him and Castiel smiled back and nodded in approval.

Dean turned back to face forward, feeling accomplished in getting the angel to eat. He figured that he hadn't really had the chance to have take-out food for most of his life. He balanced the food bags on his lap to dislodge his drink from the carrier and held it back to him as well. Castiel took it and looked over it slowly before drinking the soda.

Once they got home, Dean handed the food and drinks to Castiel. "Go take this to the kitchen." The angel nodded and went into the house while Dean helped Mary carry all the bags into the house.

"Here," Mary handed Dean the bags with Castiel's clothes and shoes, "take these to your room and find a place for them."

Dean took the bags and nodded. He walked over to Castiel at the counter and peeked into one of the food bags. "Grab that one." He nodded to the one closer to Castiel. "That's ours." He gestured with his head for Castiel to follow him. "Don't forget the drinks." He started for the stairs and heard the angel take the bag and follow.

He gently kicked open his bedroom door and dropped Castiel's bags on his mattress. Castiel came in after him and stood near the door holding the bag and the drink carrier with their drinks.

"Just set that on the desk." He pointed next to the door. Castiel nodded and put the food down before moving back to his previous position with a bowed head. Dean took off his jacket and frowned at the angel. "Are you okay?"

Castiel looked up quickly and nodded. He shifted on his feet a little and didn't seem to know what to do with his hands.

Dean was worried at how nervous and scared Castiel seemed. He took a couple steps closer to him and the angel looked away. It seemed like he was waiting for Dean to yell or hurt him in some way. He took a breath in and turned to his desk to take out their food.

He took out one of the burgers and held it out for Castiel. When he took it, Dean pulled the fries out and set them on the desk and unwrapped his own burger. He sat on the edge of his bed and nodded to the chair at the desk. "Sit."

Castiel looked at the chair and back at Dean, but didn't move. Dean lowered his food. "Please?"

Castiel hesitated a moment but did as he was asked and sat down across from Dean. He copied what he had done to unwrap his burger and the smell made his stomach growl. It was a familiar smell that he had encountered on the street, but he had never eaten one. He took a hesitant bite and was pleasantly surprised by how good it was.

Dean smiled as he saw the angel's eyes light up after tasting his food. "So, you want to finish that movie you were watching when we left?" Castiel swallowed his bite and nodded.

Dean started the movie again and he and Castiel finished their meals and watched the comedy together. Once it was over, Dean saw Castiel rolling his shoulder and shifting his hurt wing slightly with a pained face.

"Hey, is that hurting again?" He nodded to his wing. Castiel shook his head. "Really?" He shook his head again and waved his hand. "Cas," Dean stood and moved closer to him, "tell me the truth." He knelt in front of the angel. "Does it hurt?"

Castiel bit his lip in worry before nodding slowly. He didn't want to upset Dean or complain, but it had been aching for over an hour and was getting worse.

Dean stood up and went to his dresser to find the supplies Missouri had given him. He took them back to his desk and dropped a few drops on the angel's bandages. The wing tensed briefly and then relaxed.

"Better?" Castiel nodded. Dean walked around to look at him. "What about that?" He pointed to his bruised cheek. Castiel shrugged. He wasn't sure if it would work for his face or not. "You want to try it and see if it helps?" Castiel shrugged again but lifted his head in permission.

Dean poured some of the liquid onto his fingers and gently touched the bruise around the angel's eye. Castiel closed his eyes and tightened his lips slightly as Dean spread the pain reliever around to his cheek. When his fingers touched close to his jaw, Castiel flinched and pulled his head away.

"Sorry." Dean lifted his hand and stepped back. "Did I hurt you?" Castiel opened his eyes and shook his head. "Did that seem to help?" Castiel waited as his face grew warm from the medicine and nodded. "Good."

He put the bottle back and picked up their trash from the food. "Cas, I wanted to tell you," he put a hand on his shoulder, making the angel look at him, "please always tell me when you're hurting. Okay?"

Castiel looked at him in disbelief and nodded. Dean squeezed his shoulder and smiled. He watched as Dean left to throw out their trash and wasn't sure how to feel. He had never met someone that cared about his pain or happiness at all. He was beginning to wonder if any of this was actually happening.

That night was another struggle for Dean to get Castiel to sit with the family to eat dinner. At first, he wouldn't sit at the table with him and his parents, but Dean was finally able to talk him into sitting down. Then, he just stared at the plate of food, too nervous to eat. He did eat finally, but not until his parents were done and gone. Dean made sure to stay with him until he was done.

Castiel seemed upset once they went back to Dean's room. He sat at the desk with his head down and wings falling loose behind him.

Dean wasn't sure how much to bring up yet. He knew he had to be careful with him at first, given all that he'd been through, but he had hoped it would be easier after he knew he didn't have to go back to his last owner.

He moved to sit on his bed and crossed his legs. "Cas, I'll never know or understand what you've been through, but you're safe here." The angel looked at him sadly. "I know it takes time to get past what happened to you and to learn to trust us, and I can't expect a change overnight. I just wanted to let you know that I'm here and I'll help you in any way I can to make this change easier for you."

Castiel knew he was being sincere and he knew that no one in this house would harm him, but 17 years of instincts and learned behavior were hard to forget. He nodded in understanding.

A few hours later, Dean and Castiel went to sleep after watching another movie. Dean helped Castiel take off his new blue shirt and shook his head when Dean asked if he had one he wanted to sleep in.

Dean slept easier when he couldn't see Castiel sitting next to his bed. He did roll over to check on the angel a couple times, but he always saw the same sight of him sprawled out on his stomach with his wings spread out fully and his head turned towards Dean's bed. He smiled at how peaceful he looked and slipped into sleep himself.

Sunday went about as smooth as Saturday. Castiel's bruises had already mostly healed and were a pale yellow. His wing was slightly better, but would take longer to heal than his face. Breakfast was another struggle to get Castiel to eat with the family, although he was willing to sit with them quicker than the night before.

After eating, Dean went back to his room with Castiel following close behind. He didn't have any homework left to finish so he sat at his desk and opened his laptop.

Castiel walked behind him and turned on the TV. He put in a new movie and then turned to look at Dean. He was browsing the internet in mild interest. Castiel rolled his shoulder with a grimace. His wing was starting to bother him again.

Dean looked up when Castiel moved over to stand next to him and gently pulled on his sleeve. "What is it, Cas?" The angel moved his shoulder again and glanced at his wing. Dean turned to face him. "Is that hurting again?" Castiel nodded.

"Sit down." Dean stood and moved over to get his supplies. Castiel moved to take the seat Dean was just in. When he got back to the chair, Dean noticed that the bandages were looking a little worn. "I should probably change the dressings too." Castiel nodded in understanding.

Dean began unwrapping the wing with slow moves. Castiel had his head down and braced himself on the desk with both hands. Dean tossed the old bandages to the floor and looked at the damaged wing. He wasn't an expert on angel anatomy but the wing looked better than when Missouri fixed it.

"If anything hurts too much, just hit the desk and I'll stop." Castiel nodded. Dean looked at the bone closely. He ran his fingers over the bone carefully, feeling Castiel twitch slightly. He could feel where the bone had broken and mostly healed over. A patch of the feathers in the area had been ripped out as well, leaving a red irritated spot where each had been.

Dean picked up the pain reliever and covered the wing bone. Castiel took a breath through his nose and tensed up briefly. Dean pulled his hand back. "You okay?" Castiel nodded.

Dean wrapped the wing bone quickly, careful to avoid pulling at any of his feathers in the area. Once that was done, he put more of the medicine on the bandages.

Castiel relaxed once Dean was done and smiled in gratitude. Dean sat on his bed and absently wiped remnants of the medicine off his hands. "You know, I've been thinking about your reading situation." He looked at the angel. "Would you want to learn how to read and write?"

The look of utter disbelief on Castiel's face made Dean smile. He nodded slowly and looked down at his hands.

"Good. I'll teach you." Castiel looked up quickly with wide eyes. Dean laughed at the look. "I may not be the best teacher or the best student, but I'm not trying to turn you into an English major, you just need the basics. I think I can handle that." Dean thought he saw a shine of tears in Castiel's eyes but the angel looked away before he could tell.

Dean knew that most owners kept their angels completely dependent on them by not teaching them anything that could give them choices. They would take their voices, their ability to get ideas from books, and their opinions from the written word. He didn't want to do that. He wanted Castiel to have as much freedom and choice as was possible.

"Okay, well I'll see if I can steal some workbooks or something from school tomorrow." He smiled and stood to throw out the bandages on the floor.

Dean spent the day with Castiel watching more movies and starting some of the more lighthearted TV shows he had seasons of. He didn't want to trigger anything for the angel with any of the violent or dark shows he had. That afternoon he tried to get him outside to enjoy the sunny weather, but Castiel refused to leave the house.

Mary had gone to pick up Sam from Brady's around 3pm and he immediately went into stories about what new games Brady had and how late they had stayed up. He tended to look at Castiel a lot while he talked and Dean could tell he wanted to make the angel feel included.

Mary shooed them out of the kitchen so she could start supper and Sam once again followed Dean and Castiel to his room. Dean could feel the angel staying close to his back, still nervous of Sam's interest.

Dean sat at his desk when they reached his room and Castiel stayed close to his side. Sam jumped onto Dean's bed and started hopping, making the bed creak slightly. Dean didn't have to turn around to know what he was doing.

"Hey, don't do that!" Dean glanced back at his brother. "Or at least take your shoes off first."

Sam sighed and let himself fall to land on his butt with his feet hanging over the bed. He smiled at Castiel and let his legs sway back and forth. Castiel didn't know what to do under the look and turned his head away.

"Can I ask you some questions?" Sam looked at him with hope shining in his eyes.

"Sam," Dean warned, remembering how the last session went with the jumpy angel.

"I'm asking him first! If he doesn't want to, I won't ask him anything." He turned back to Castiel with a small smile. "I promise they're just basic angel questions, nothing really personal."

Dean looked up at Castiel and saw the angel looking at him for help. He just shrugged. Castiel turned back to Sam and nodded.

Sam beamed and shifted on the bed excitedly. "Okay, uh, is it true that angels communicate telepathically?" Castiel nodded slowly. "Is it true that they live longer than humans?" Castiel nodded.

"Everyone knows that, Sam." Dean shook his head.

"I'm just making sure, Dean." He looked at Castiel again. "Are they a lot stronger than humans physically?" Castiel furrowed his brows and shrugged, not sure of the truth of that. "What about your wings? I've read that they're an angel's strongest limb and that even the feathers can be sharp and used as a weapon."

Dean looked up in interest. Castiel seemed to struggle with the answer to that. Dean hadn't really touched any of his feathers earlier, but they didn't seem sharp. He was surprised when Castiel nodded.

"Really?" Dean pushed his chair back to look at the angel. Castiel nodded again. "Why didn't you fight back then? When those jerks came after you in the street, why didn't you hit them with it or cut them?"

Castiel closed his eyes and bowed his head. He had been so weak and scared at the time that his wings wouldn't have been very affective even if he had wanted to fight back. His wings lowered slightly.

Sam frowned at the display. He knew that wings were a way for angels to express emotion, usually always involuntarily. He could tell that Castiel was ashamed and sad. "Can I feel your feathers?"

Dean and Castiel both looked at him in surprise. Dean put a hand up. "Sam, I don't think that's a good idea, or an appropriate question."

"I just want to see if they're sharp. I won't touch too much."

Dean was about to protest again when Castiel took a couple steps forward and extended out his good wing for Sam to reach. Dean felt his mouth open in shock.

Sam's eyes widened comically. "Can I really?" Castiel nodded. Sam stood from the bed slowly and took the couple steps closer to be able to reach the wing. He held out a hand and gently brushed his fingers through a couple of the feathers.

They were softer than Sam had expected. He smiled and stepped a little closer, letting his fingers touch a few more feathers. Castiel's wing twitched slightly at the feeling, but he didn't pull away. Sam laughed and looked at the angel, who was watching him closely.

While he was distracted, his hand moved up against the feathers and he felt his skin burn. He hissed in pain and pulled his hand back. Castiel immediately pulled his wing back into himself and stepped away, terrified that he had hurt Sam.

Dean stood up and walked over to his brother as he stared at his now bleeding finger. Dean grabbed his hand and looked at it. It was no worse than a paper cut. "I think you'll live." He smiled over at Castiel and found the angel shaking with his wings wrapped around his body and backed up to the wall.

"Cas, it's okay." Dean let go of Sam and moved closer to him. "It's just a little cut." Castiel shook his head.

"Really, it doesn't even hurt." Sam sucked the finger into his mouth and then showed it to Castiel. "I've done a lot worse to myself."

Castiel didn't seem too convinced and seemed certain that some kind of punishment was imminent. Dean sighed and put a hand on Sam's shoulder. "Go get a band aid for that."

"I'm fine."

"Everything will make it burn if you don't. Go." He shoved Sam gently to the door.

"Fine!" He rolled his eyes dramatically and left to go find a band aid.

Dean turned back to Castiel. "Hey, don't worry. We know you didn't do that on purpose. Sam will be fine and nobody is mad at you."

Castiel didn't seem convinced. They both jumped when Sam came back into the room with a band aid halfway wrapped around his finger.

"I just have one more question." He tossed his wrapper on the floor as he flattened the material around his finger.

"Dude, I do have a trashcan." Dean picked up the wrapper and dropped it in the small bin by the door. "And I think Cas has had enough questions for one day."

"It's just one more." Sam gave him a pouty face.

Dean crossed his arms and looked at Castiel. "It's up to you."

Castiel considered for a moment and then nodded.

"I've heard that angels mate for life and once they pick a mate, they'd die defending them. Is that true?"

Castiel was surprised by the question. He looked down in thought for a while. He didn't know a lot about such things, but his parents had talked to him about that when he was younger. He glanced at Dean, who was looking at Sam like he was wishing that he had made him leave. Castiel turned to Sam and nodded with a small smile.

Dean put his hands on Sam's shoulders and guided him back to the door. "Alright, you got your answers. Time to leave him alone."

Sam let himself be led out the door, but he pushed against the hold to look back at Castiel with a wide smile. "Thank you, Cas!"

Dean shut the door once he was in the hallway and turned back to Castiel. "Sorry about him. He's too curious for his own good."

Castiel shrugged and finally unfolded his wings, relaxing with the door shut and only being with Dean. He moved around the desk chair and sat down. Dean had moved closer to say something but his phone rang.

He jumped as his ringtone sounded loudly. Dean took it out of his pocket and checked the ID. He answered quickly and stepped out to the hallway.

Castiel waited at the desk for a few minutes, but then grew bored. He moved closer to the TV and searched for something new to watch. He was part way through an episode of a series when Dean came back into the room.

"Sorry, I had to take that." He was smiling. "What are we watching?" He looked at the TV and sat on the floor by the lounge chair and watched the rest of the episode with Castiel.


	5. Chapter 5

The next morning he had to wake up way too early for his liking. He groaned as he saw that it was only 7 o'clock and rolled over onto his stomach. His mother would be knocking on his door soon if he didn't get up.

He yawned and glanced over to check on Castiel. The angel was sleeping like he always did, sprawled out on his stomach with his cover mostly hanging off the side of the mattress. Dean chuckled at the sight. Castiel had always slept without his shirt as well. Dean figured it was easier for his wings and it was warmer inside than he was used to out on the street.

Dean got up and walked out carefully to use the bathroom, trying to not wake up Castiel. When he got back to the room, Castiel had rolled over and pulled his cover back over him. Dean tiptoed by him to get to his dresser and grabbed his outfit for the day. He changed quickly and headed downstairs to eat breakfast.

When he got back upstairs, Castiel was sitting on his mattress and stretching his neck. Dean smiled. "Morning." He did a double take when he saw Castiel's face. "Wow that looks good." He pointed to his face, which was completely clear of his bruises. "You really do heal fast."

Castiel touched his face and smiled. Dean picked up his schoolbag off the floor and put it on his shoulder. "Well, I have to go to school. I should be back around 3:30 or 4. It'll just be you and my mom in the house today. Feel free to go wherever you want. I know she'd like help around the house, but don't feel like you have to." Castiel nodded. "There's food downstairs for you anytime you want to eat."

Dean put his hand on the doorknob, but realized Castiel still didn't have a shirt and his wing was still hard to work around alone. "Hey, you want some help getting a shirt on before I leave?"

Castiel looked down like he had forgotten that he wasn't completely dressed. He nodded and moved to stand from his mattress.

Dean dropped his bag and waited for Castiel to pick what shirt he wanted. He held out one of his plain black ones that buttoned up the front. Dean helped him get the shirt over his wings and arms before stepping away and picking up his bag again.

"I'll see you later. I'll try and get that workbook for you today so we can start our lessons tonight." He smiled and waved to the angel. Castiel waved back as he tried to button up his shirt.

Dean and Sam got back from school a little after 3:30. Sam went upstairs to put his bag up. Dean just dropped his by the door and went into the kitchen to get a snack. He was taking a soda from the fridge when Mary entered the kitchen behind him.

"Hey, how was school?"

"Fine," Dean shut the fridge and turned to face her, "normal."

She smiled. "Did you find something to help Castiel with his reading?" He had told her about his plans for that before leaving.

"Yeah, I did. I figured I could start with the alphabet today and see how that goes." He opened his can of soda and took a drink. He didn't know what it would be like to teach someone how to read and write. He had helped Sam with his homework before but Sam always caught on pretty fast. "What's he been doing today?"

Mary shrugged. "I don't know. I haven't seen him all day. I walked by your room earlier and heard your TV so I figured he was just wanting some alone time. He also came down to eat at some point, but I didn't hear him."

Dean was worried about that. He had hoped that Castiel would start to get more comfortable in the house and with Mary, but it had only been a couple days. "Well, I'll go check on him."

He headed upstairs after grabbing his bag. He opened his door and found Castiel sitting sideways in his chair with his legs crossed over the arm and his wings draped over the opposite arm. He glanced up when Dean opened the door.

Dean closed the door and dropped his bag on the desk. The television was off and Castiel seemed to just be sitting and looking out the window near the chair.

"You have a good day?" Castiel nodded. "Good. My mom said you didn't leave the room though. Not that you have to, but there wasn't any problem was there?" The angel shook his head. "Good."

Dean opened his bag and took out a couple thin books. "I got you something." He held them out to Castiel, who took them and looked them over. "They won't be a lot of good to you yet, but we can start with the basics tonight if you want."

Castiel ran a hand over the workbook and smiled to himself. He looked up at Dean briefly and nodded. He wanted to learn to read, and he couldn't believe that Dean wanted to teach him.

He smiled at the angel. "Awesome. How about right now?"

Castiel shifted around in his chair to face Dean and shrugged. He tried to keep his excitement from showing too much.

"Come here." Dean motioned to his desk. He took out a notebook and a couple pencils. Castiel stood and moved over to stand behind him. Dean pointed to the desk chair. "Go ahead and sit there."

The angel sat at the desk and put the workbook down in front of him. Dean rummaged through his bag for a minute before turning around. He opened the notebook and put it on the desk next to the workbook and handed Castiel one of the pencils.

After dragging the lounge chair over to sit beside Castiel, Dean wrote out the alphabet on the blank page of the notebook. He started going over the basics of the letters with him. The angel's expression of extreme focus made Dean smile.

He had him copy the letters down in the notebook and got through the first part of the alphabet when his mother knocked on the door.

Mary opened the door and poked her head in. "Dinner's ready."

"Okay, we'll be right down." Dean smiled. She looked at both of them and nodded happily before closing the door again. Dean looked at the clock in his room. "Wow, I didn't realize it had been so long." They had been at the desk for a little over an hour. "Let's go eat."

Dean stood and touched his shoulder gently. Castiel stood to follow and took Dean's hand as they went through the door. Dean didn't even notice the angel's hold as he led him down the hall.

Sam was helping set the table as Dean walked in with Castiel. He saw them holding hands and smiled at his brother. When Dean gave him a strange look, Sam tilted his head to their joined hands and raised his eyebrows.

Dean didn't know what Sam was looking at, but he followed his look down to his hand. He looked back up to Sam and let go of Castiel. The angel tended to hold onto Dean whenever they walked anywhere and he had already gotten used to it.

"What?" Dean crossed his arms.

Sam just chuckled, shaking his head. "Nothing."

Dean glanced back at Castiel, who didn't seem to notice the exchange, and walked over to where his mom was getting plates out of the cabinets. Castiel followed. Mary handed them plates and the three boys sat at the table with her.

"Where's dad?" Dean thought it was weird that he wasn't home yet.

"He's working late tonight. He should be home in a few hours."

Dean nodded. He wondered how many nights his dad would be working late from now on to help them afford to take care of Castiel. He looked at the angel and was happy to see him eating his food with more comfort than he ever had. The angel hadn't even needed to be coaxed into sitting with them.

After dinner, Dean did some of his homework in his room while Castiel kept himself bent over Dean's desk to practice writing his letters. An hour later, Dean put his books away and went over to Castiel to see how he was doing.

Dean smiled as he saw the angel tracing the letters over and over with a furrowed brow. The angel's penmanship was shaky but better than Dean had expected. He put a hand on Castiel's shoulder. "That's good, Cas." He squeezed his shoulder gently as he turned his head up to look at Dean.

Castiel stayed at the desk for a while. Dean had gone to shower and was ready for bed before the angel yawned and closed his notebook. He gathered his clothes to take a shower and turned to look at Dean.

Dean was sitting on his bed, trying to get comfortable. "Off to shower?" Castiel nodded. "You need help with your shirt?" His wing was getting better, but he did sometimes have trouble maneuvering over the appendage. He shook his head. "Okay, well I'm probably gonna be asleep by the time you get back. You can turn the light off on the way out."

The angel nodded again and left to take a shower. He didn't have too much trouble with his shirt and the pain wasn't too bad with his wing anymore. When he got back to the room, Dean was under the covers and turned away from the door. He walked carefully into the room and shut the door before settling on his mattress.


	6. Chapter 6

It was a couple days later when Dean was finally able to take off the bandages from Castiel's wing. The bone seemed healed and the area where the feathers were missing was no longer red and irritated. The angel stretched the wing gratefully and was finally able to pull it close to his back with the other one as he stood from Dean's bed.

"I bet that feels better." Dean smiled at the angel.

Castiel nodded and flexed his wings slightly. He reached around with his left hand and gently touched his now healed wing.

"Does it hurt at all?" Castiel shook his head. "Good."

Dean sat with Castiel for about an hour after that to continue his teachings. Castiel had gotten a good handle on the alphabet and he was teaching him small words and sentences to write out. The workbooks were coming in handy now and Castiel practiced while Dean went downstairs to get some snacks.

He had a couple small bags of chips and candy bars in his hands with drinks resting in the crooks of his crossed arms when his mom walked into the kitchen. "Hi, honey." He chuckled at the food he was carrying. "You two having a party up there?"

Dean smiled. "No, just a small get together."

"Alright, but don't fill up on it. Dinner will be ready in about an hour." Dean nodded and headed to the stairs. Mary called after him. "Dean, how's Castiel doing?"

He turned to her and shrugged. "Pretty good. He's practicing some small sentences now. I think he really likes learning how to write."

"Good." She smiled. "I also wanted to let you know that your dad made an appointment for Castiel to see the doctor this weekend."

"Oh," Dean had almost forgotten about needing to have that done. Since Castiel's bruises had healed and his wing was pretty much healed, he could go without any suspicion from the clinical staff. "Okay, I'll let Cas know."

Dean brought the food upstairs and put it on the desk by Castiel. He opened his chips and sat next the angel as he continued to write in his workbook. "So, my dad made an appt for you to get checked by the doctor this weekend."

Castiel stopped writing and looked up at Dean. He swallowed visibly and then wrote a question mark on his paper.

"It's just something we have to do for the paperwork." He smiled at the angel's neat question mark on the page. His handwriting had gotten better. "And we want to make sure you're not sick or have anything we need to be treating and aren't."

The angel furrowed his brows and nodded. He turned back to his writing and slowly traced over some of his words again. Dean could see his frown and worried look.

"You don't like going to the doctor do you?" Dean could read it on his face. The angel just shrugged and shook his head slightly. "Don't worry, Cas. It's just a routine checkup. You probably won't be there more than ten minutes." He put a hand on his shoulder comfortingly. Castiel smiled up at him and his wings lifted up slightly in happiness.

They both jumped when Dean's door flew open and Sam came in. "Dean…"

"Sam, God!" Dean had a hand over his heart, which was pounding from being startled by his little brother. "Knocking, have you heard of it?"

Sam looked between Dean and Castiel with a raised eyebrow. "What, were you doing something I shouldn't see?"

"No, but its called courtesy. You knock before barging into someone's room." Dean looked at Castiel, who had jumped and pulled his wings close to his body.

Sam sighed and rolled his eyes. "Whatever, I need you to drive me to one of my classmates' houses."

"Why?"

"Because we have a project we need to work on for class."

"You couldn't have ridden home with him after school?"

"No, she had basketball practice after school."

Dean smiled. "She?"

Sam sighed again. "Yes, it's a girl." His face reddened slightly.

"What's her name?"

"Are you gonna take me or not?"

"I need to know whose house you're going to."

"Her name is Jessica. The teacher paired everyone up for the project." He mumbled most of it while looking at his feet.

"Why can't mom take you?"

He looked up. "She told me to ask you. She's making dinner."

Dean sighed and leaned back in his chair. "Fine, go get your stuff." Dean stood as Sam left and moved to pick up his jacket. "I'll be back." He smiled at Castiel as he left the room and followed his brother down the stairs.

"So, how's Cas doing with his reading and writing?" Sam pointed to the next street Dean needed to turn onto.

"Good. He's catching on quick."

"That's good. It'll be nice when you two can communicate easier. I haven't heard of any of my friends who taught their angels to read or write. The ones that can't talk, that is."

Dean glanced at Sam while slowing to a stop sign. "You haven't told anyone about Cas, right?" The family had agreed not to mention it to anyone for a while.

"No. I don't know why we can't tell anyone." Sam turned to Dean. "It's not like its something to be ashamed of or anything."

"We're not ashamed, Sam. We just don't want to broadcast it. You know what people around here think of people who own angels, the adults anyway."

"Yeah, I know." Sam leaned back in his seat and looked out the window. "I don't think anyone would honestly believe we would ever mistreat an angel."

"Dad's the sheriff. He doesn't need any publicity about it."

Sam stayed silent for a moment while watching the houses go by. He then smiled slightly and looked back at Dean. "You know, I've noticed that Castiel seems a lot more comfortable with you than anyone else. He's always really close to you and holding your arm or hand when you go anywhere."

"So? I'm the one that found him and helped him. He probably would feel more comfortable with me."

Sam laughed lightly. "Yeah, he would. I think it's cute." He smiled at Dean, who had turned to look at him at the word cute.

"Well I think it's cute that you have a crush on this girl you're working with." Dean smirked at Sam's quickly reddening face.

"What? I don't have a crush on her." Sam turned his face away while Dean laughed.

"Of course not. That's why you're blushing."

"Shut up."

"Sammy has a crush on Jessica." Dean reached over to poke Sam's shoulder.

"Shut up!" Sam slapped Dean's hand away. "I do not!"

Dean laughed and put both hands on the wheel again and drove on in silence. When he got to a dead end road and slowed the car. "Which house is hers?"

Sam looked around and pointed to a two-story brick house close to the end of the road. Dean pulled into the driveway. "Am I picking you up too?"

Sam shrugged. "I don't know. Mom didn't say. I'll call when we're done."

"Alright." Sam got out of the front seat and Dean waited until he was let into the house before backing out and driving home.

Dean got home a few minutes before his dad and they all ate dinner. Sam was going to be eating at Jessica's house. Castiel was now able to sit with the family comfortably and would eat slowly while watching everyone else.

John looked at Dean partway through the meal. "Dean, have you started looking for a job yet?"

"Um," Dean felt his heart rate pick up. He'd been so preoccupied with Castiel that he'd forgotten about it. "A little bit."

"That was part of the agreement when Castiel joined us. You need to help support him now."

"I know. I'll start looking harder, I promise." Dean kept his eyes on his food, feeling ashamed at forgetting about something so important.

"Good."

The rest of the meal went by silently. Afterward, Dean went back up to his room to finish his homework, Castiel right behind. The angel took his workbooks over to his chair so Dean could use the desk. He had been watching him during dinner and could tell he was upset.

Dean looked up when Castiel tapped his shoulder. The angel held out his workbook with a couple words written in the corner that read: 'job upset?'.

He laughed lightly and looked at Castiel. "I wouldn't say upset. I'm just a little worried about it."

Castiel furrowed his brows and pointed to the question mark.

"Because I forgot about it. I feel like I let someone down somehow. I know that it's hard for my family to make it on the budget we have now and I want to help out, but I want to help you too. I feel like I won't have time for that if I have school, homework, and work." Dean sighed and covered his face with a hand.

Castiel frowned as Dean rested his elbows on the desk and hid his face. He didn't want Dean to feel upset. He reached out a hand and put it on his shoulder the same way Dean did to him when he wanted to comfort him.

Dean looked up when he felt the angel's hand on his shoulder. Castiel was looking at him with sympathetic eyes. He smiled at him and sat up straighter. "Don't worry, Cas. I'll be fine." He bent down to pick up his textbooks to start his homework.

The rest of the night went by silently, until Dean had to go pick up Sam. Castiel continued watching some DVDs and tracing sentences in his notebook. He really wanted to learn more so he could talk to Dean easier.

Raised voices he heard coming from downstairs piqued Castiel's interest about ten minutes after Dean left. He walked to the bedroom door on light feet and slowly stuck his head out into the hallway. John and Mary were talking in the kitchen.

"I can't work enough hours a week to make up for the extra cost, Mary." John sounded exhausted.

"I'm not suggesting you work more, John. I just think you shouldn't be too hard on Dean. He's doing a lot for Castiel here."

"Expecting a teenager to get a job isn't being too hard. He agreed to it when we took in the angel. We're on a tight budget and we really can't afford this."

"We'll manage."

"How? We didn't have much of anything to spare before and now…"

"John, please…" She cut him off, trying to avoid the same argument they'd been having recently.

"What, am I lying? We basically have three children now and we can't afford it! If that angel hadn't been is such bad shape when Dean found him, I wouldn't have let him stay here."

There was a pause and then Mary let out a huff. "I don't believe that."

"After what Dean did that night I shouldn't have rewarded him at all."

"He was just upset and over reacted." Castiel heard her shuffle closer to the stairs where John was standing. "I wonder where he gets that from." They both chuckled. "If things get too tight, John, I can find a job too. Everything will be okay."

Castiel retreated to Dean's room. The conversation had put a bad feeling in his stomach. John had always made him nervous and now it seemed like the man didn't even want the angel in the house. He never wanted to cause any trouble. Now he just felt like a burden on the family. He dropped his notebook on the floor and laid down on his mattress. His desire to practice writing was gone for the night.

Sam rushed up the stairs once he got home. Dean had been teasing him about Jessica the whole way home and he was irritated. Dean laughed as he called him a jerk and ran up to his room. He grabbed a drink and walked up the stairs. He assumed his parents were in their room since they didn't greet him, and he was glad for it. He didn't want to talk about job hunting again tonight.

He pushed his bedroom door open and walked in while taking a drink of water. Crunching paper under his foot made him jump. He looked down and saw Castiel's notebook on the floor. Dean picked it up and frowned when he noticed the angel seeming to be asleep. He usually never left anything on the floor, let alone in front of the door.

"Cas, you okay?" Dean tossed the notebook to land on his desk. The pencil was on the floor too and he picked it up.

The angel pulled his cover closer and rolled more away from Dean. "What's wrong?"

Dean moved to sit on his bed and look at Castiel. "Does something hurt?" Castiel's eyes were open and seemed strangely blank. He just shook his head.

"Can I help you in any way?" Castiel blinked and pulled his wings up to wrap around himself more.

He wasn't sure what was going on. Castiel never acted like this. He was worried something was seriously wrong. "Cas, what happened?"

Castiel closed his eyes briefly and his lips quivered slightly. He turned away from Dean and hid his face in the pillow.

Now he was really worried. It looked like Castiel was about to cry. "Hey," he moved off the bed and crouched by the angel, "I don't want you to be sad, Cas. How can I help you?"

Castiel shook his head. Dean waited for a minute to see if maybe the angel would open up, but he didn't. He stood and moved back to his desk. "Well, I'm here if you want to talk or anything."

He sat and worked on his homework until it was late enough for his eyes to start hurting and demand he sleep. He yawned and got up to turn off the light. He looked at Castiel as he did and saw the angel sleeping with a furrowed brow.


	7. Chapter 7

"Why can't I work at Bobby's?" Dean was shocked that his dad wouldn't let him work with his friend. He had offered to take Dean on part time when he was old enough but now his dad wasn't letting him.

"Because you need a real job, Dean, not something for a family friend who probably won't pay you much."

"It would be a real job, dad. You were a mechanic once too!" He had been so happy to bring this up and couldn't believe his dad was reacting this way.

"I know, but that's not the job Bobby offered. You'd need to learn a lot before you could be a mechanic."

"Dad…"

"No," John cut him off with a raised hand, "you need to go out and get applications for something that will at least pay you minimum wage."

Dean sighed loudly and walked out of the living room. He stomped up the stairs and slammed his bedroom door shut behind him.

Castiel looked at him in worry. He was sitting in his chair with his notebook on his lap. He hadn't been writing lately, but was drawing shapes with his pencil. Dean was clearly angry, and Castiel could hear what about before he entered the room.

He huffed before sitting at his desk and dropping his books loudly on the table. Castiel hadn't wanted to practice his writing since the night he left his book by the door. Dean was almost hurt by it. His dad was angry that he didn't have a job yet and now Castiel seemed to lose interest in a way to communicate.

Feeling overly aggravated, Dean opened his book with a little more force than necessary and glared at the math problems like they were the cause of his anger.

Castiel chewed his bottom lip as he thought of what might help Dean. He let his pencil flow over the paper as he thought. He had an elaborate pattern of waves on the paper and turned it to a blank page and stood to walk over to Dean. He knelt beside his chair and dropped his notebook in front of Dean.

Dean looked at the angel. "What?"

Castiel tapped the page with his pencil and looked at Dean.

"What?"

He drew a circle and pointed at Dean.

Dean rubbed his forehead and shook his head. "I don't understand."

Castiel touched him with a finger and mouthed the word 'you'.

"What about me?"

Castiel touched him again and then scribbled with his pencil.

"Cas, I don't…" He stopped when the angel started drawing letters. When he was done it spelled 'naym'. Dean read it a couple times before it clicked. "Name?"

The angel nodded and tapped Dean again.

"My name?" Castiel nodded and scribbled again. "You want to learn to write my name?"

Castiel nodded and seemed relieved that Dean finally understood.

"Why?" Castiel shrugged and put a hand on his own chest and mouthed 'me.' "You want to learn yours too?" He nodded again. "Okay." Dean laughed softly.

Castiel handed him the pencil and shifted a little closer. First Dean corrected his spelling of the word name and then slowly wrote out his name and Castiel's. The angel watched intently.

Once he was done, Castiel took the notebook from him and started practicing the names so they would be neat like Dean's handwriting.

Dean watched him as he concentrated hard to trace the names and then redraw them. He didn't know what brought that on, but it was nice to talk with the angel again. They hadn't done that much the last couple days.

He turned back to his homework and continued with none of the previous anger. Castiel looked up when Dean turned back to his homework and smiled when Dean seemed calm.

The weekend came around and Castiel was going in for his appointment at the hospital. He was shaking as the car approached the building. His past experiences with doctors had never been good and he didn't know what to expect.

The angel hospital was small and it only made Castiel more nervous. He sat with Dean as John checked him in. Other angels and their owners were waiting in the room and he felt like they were all looking at him. His wings pulled in as his nerves got worse.

Dean could see the fear in Castiel's eyes and leaned in to talk lowly to him. "Relax. It's just a routine checkup. It won't take long."

Castiel nodded and tried to relax but the other owners and angels made him nervous again. They all had leashes and collars on and seemed irritated that Castiel didn't have one. He rubbed absently at the mark on his neck and closed his eyes.

Dean noticed Castiel rubbing his neck and how he seemed to start scratching around the marks. His head dipped lower and his nails began to leave red lines. Dean reached out and touched Castiel's hand.

The angel jerked violently, his wings expanding briefly, and pulled away from Dean.

"Cas, hey" Dean pulled his hands back, alarmed by the angel's reaction, "it's okay."

Castiel was breathing rapidly, eyes wide in shock, and shaking. He shook his head and pulled his wings back into his body.

"I didn't want you to hurt yourself." Dean put his hands on his lap, not wanting to startle him again. "I'm sorry."

Castiel could feel the stares of everyone in the room and dropped his head in shame. He didn't want to draw attention.

They waited another fifteen minutes before Castiel's name was called. The three of them followed the nurse to a private room. She took Castiel's temperature, weight, and blood pressure before leaving them alone.

Dean and John were sitting on the chairs off to the side while Castiel sat on the exam bed waiting for the doctor. He seemed slightly calmer now that he was out of the waiting room. They sat in silence for about ten minutes before the doctor entered with a chart.

She greeted him and began testing his reflexes, eyes, ears, and throat. She asked him to extend his wings out for her to check them. He nodded and opened his wings fully. Dean and John were both surprised by the width of the wingspan, having never seen them open before.

The doctor ran her hand along his wing bone, making him flinch. When she felt the spot that had been broken, she stopped.

"What happened here?" She looked at John.

"His wing was broken when we found him, along with other injuries."

She nodded and ran her hand around the bone again. Castiel twitched with a grimace a few times from her touch.

"It didn't heal as well as if it had been done professionally, but whoever bandaged it did a good job. The feathers seem to be growing back too, which is good."

She continued by checking his feathers and bone on the other wing before letting him pull his wings back in.

"Now, just hop off the table for me. I need to check your back."

Castiel hesitantly got off the table and stood eye level with the doctor.

"Bend over to touch your toes for me."

Castiel glanced nervously at Dean. Dean nodded encouragingly to him. He'd had to do that before too. He knew the doctor needed to check his spine. Castiel bent down and the doctor circled behind him and ran a hand up his spine.

Dean watched Castiel's face and saw him shut his eyes tight and his nostrils flare. He knew he was on edge from all the contact. The doctor pulled her hand back and told him he could stand back up and sit on the table. Castiel took a quick breath and sat on the table again.

"I just need to look at one more thing." She moved close to Castiel. "Could you tilt your head up to look at the ceiling for me?"

The angel seemed confused but obeyed. The doctor gently held his chin with one hand and ran the other one along the circular mark on his neck. Castiel jumped when she touched him. She stilled and waited for him to relax before touching him again.

After getting a close look, she stepped away and picked up his chart. "Okay, everything seems good, normal. He is underweight for an angel his age and size, but otherwise he seems healthy. We're gonna take some blood to test for any infection or disease as well."

"We're working on the weight thing." Dean smiled at the doctor. "He didn't have much to eat before he lived with us."

She nodded and wrote on her chart. "I do need to speak to the owner outside briefly."

Dean made to stand, but John put a hand on his arm. "You're only 16, Dean. I'm legally responsible for him right now." He stood and followed the doctor into the hall, shutting the door behind him.

Dean sat back in his chair and sighed. He looked at Castiel and could tell he was still nervous. He walked over to him. "Don't worry, Cas. I'm sure everything is fine. You won't have to come here again for a long time."

Castiel glanced at Dean but wasn't able to feel comforted by his words. All he wanted to do was go home.

John was standing by the doctor as she voiced her concerns about the marks on Castiel's neck. "If I had seen that on an angel I knew wasn't a new addition, I would have to notify someone about angel abuse. Those marks have been there a long time and could only be caused after several months or years."

John shifted uncomfortably. "What would make marks like that?"

The doctor shook her head. "Best I can tell, a collar."

"What? What kind of collar could do that?" He had always thought collars and leashes for angels were ridiculous, but he never thought they could cause damage like that.

"Not the common cloth ones most people use. Those marks were caused by something metal and tight. I can't imagine what that poor thing went through to get those marks." She shook her head in sympathy.

"Well, I have a good idea that his last owner was abusive in some way, but I never imagined something like that."

"I just wanted to let you know and ask about it. I know you didn't do this, Sherriff, but I needed to be thorough."

"I understand. Thank you."

The lab tech coming to take a blood sample was entering the room when John said goodbye to the doctor. He followed the man inside.

Castiel was very hesitant to hold his arm out to the man. Dean told him to look at him and just keep breathing. The angel bit his lip from the pain of the needle but kept his eyes on Dean and kept breathing. When it was over, they were able to leave.

Once they were home and Castiel was up in Dean's room, John decided to tell Dean what the doctor had told him about the marks. Dean was furious.

"What kind of dick would do that?!" Dean couldn't even fathom what the angel had to have gone through. "That shouldn't be allowed to happen!"

"I agree." John put a hand on Dean's shoulder. "You'd be surprised how many horrible people there are in the world. I'm just glad he doesn't have to go through that again."

"Yeah, but that guy probably has some other poor angel going through the same thing. He doesn't have the right to do that." Dean was shaking in anger.

John grabbed Dean's shoulders, making him look at him. "You can't think about that, Dean. It'll drive you nuts. Just take care of Castiel."

"I will." Dean nodded and went upstairs. Castiel was sitting on his chair and running a hand over the bandage where they'd drawn blood.

Dean shut the door. "You'll want to take that off as soon as possible. The longer it stays on, the worse it is to take off." Castiel looked at it in worry and started trying to peel it off. "You feeling okay?"

Castiel nodded as he grimaced and pulled the tape off his arm. He rubbed the now red spot.

"Good." He wanted to ask Castiel about his last owner, but knew the angel had been through enough today. "You want to watch a movie?" Castiel nodded and they settled in for the night and watched a couple movies.


	8. Chapter 8

Over the next couple months, Dean got a job at a restaurant, Castiel got up to a healthy weight and could write in complete sentences, and Mary started cleaning houses part-time.

Castiel was home with Mary on one of her days off and could hear her moving around downstairs at a rather frantic pace. He descended the stairs to see if she needed help.

He found her in the kitchen with most of the cabinets open and mumbling to herself. He was carrying a small marker board that Dean bought for him and started writing as she stood up.

"Oh!" Mary jumped when she saw Castiel. "I didn't hear you."

Castiel turned the marker board for her to read. _I can help_

Mary smiled. "I'm sure, but I'm looking for something right now and I can't remember where it would be."

The angel frowned. He was going to ask what she was looking for, but she spoke before he could start.

"But, if you would, the laundry can be moved to the dryer."

Castiel nodded. He had helped with the laundry a couple times and was happy to do anything to help a clearly frazzled Mary.

"Thank you, dear. I've got a few things going at once here and…" she sighed, "I appreciate your help."

He nodded to her again and walked off to the laundry room. He had taken out the dry clothes and moved the wet ones over when he heard Mary in the kitchen again.

"Son of a bitch!"

Castiel ran to see what happened. Mary was at the sink with her hand under the faucet. He moved closer and saw blood. He put his board down and rushed to her side.

"Dammit!" She ran her cut finger under the water. "I didn't see the knife in the drawer before sticking my hand in there." She shook her head, chastising herself internally.

Castiel began searching the drawers for band aids. He found a box and pulled one out while Mary shut off the water. He opened the wrapper and turned to face her. She had dried her finger and held it out for Castiel. The angel wrapped it around her finger gently.

She smiled at the worried look on the angel's face. "It's okay, Castiel. I've done much worse." She put a hand on his cheek. "Thank you."

He smiled and nodded before turning around and putting the box of band aids back in the cabinet. He went back to the laundry room to finish what he started.

That afternoon, Castiel was sitting in Dean's room reading a book when he heard footsteps approaching and Dean's laughter. There was a thud on the door, followed by more laughter. He heard a girl's voice too, and Castiel sat up straighter as the door opened.

Dean entered with a girl with long dark hair. They were kissing and didn't notice the angel in the room. Castiel felt his face grow warm as he watched Dean pull the girl closer by her hips and kiss her harder. He knew he shouldn't be present for this, but he didn't know what to do.

The girl finally caught a glimpse of Castiel and gasped. "Oh my god!"

Dean looked up. "Shit, I forgot you'd be in here, Cas."

"Why didn't you tell me you had an angel?" She slapped Dean's arm and moved closer to Castiel.

"I don't know. It didn't come up." Dean still hadn't told anyone about Castiel.

Castiel stood as the girl got close enough to look him over. Her large brown eyes looked over his face and wings. He grew nervous under the gaze. He looked at Dean.

"Cas, this is Lisa." He pointed to her and shuffled uncomfortably. He wasn't sure how he'd keep Castiel a secret at school now.

"He's so cute!" Lisa smiled at him and circled him. "How long have you had him?"

"Well, at my birthday dinner…"

"You got him for your birthday?" She cut him off and laughed. "Wow, I never thought you guys would ever get an angel."

Dean bristled at the words. He remembered now why he hadn't told Lisa about the angel. She was reacting the way most people would. Making Castiel seem like a present and possession.

"I didn't _get_ him, Lisa. He's not property." He crossed his arms.

Lisa turned to look at him with a frown. "But you do own him, right?"

"Technically, I guess."

"Why doesn't anyone know about this?"

Dean shrugged. "Probably because we didn't want people to think we were some social climbing type of idiots that use angels to make themselves seem more important. Like the jerks that parade them around in shiny leashes and brag about how good their breeding was."

Lisa scrunched up her face in disgust. "You mean like most of my friends? A lot of them have angels and are very proud of them," She walked up to Dean. "Or like my family with their angels?"

"Lisa…"

She lifted a hand, "No, I get it. You think you're better than us because your family has been all 'anti-angel' since your dad became the sheriff."

"We're not anti-angel. We just don't see them as status symbols or pets."

"Like us idiots?" She shook her head and walked around Dean. "I think I'll just head home."

Dean sighed and turned to follow her. "Lisa, wait." She stopped and faced him. "You won't tell anyone else about Castiel, right?"

She laughed incredulously. "No, Dean, I won't ruin your precious reputation."

He stopped her when she made to leave again. "Do you need a ride?"

"No, I'll walk." She moved down the stairs and out the front door.

Dean went back to his room and saw Castiel writing frantically on his marker board. The angel held it up with sad eyes.

 _I'm sorry, Dean. I didn't mean to ruin anything for you._

"It's okay. You didn't do anything. I'm sorry if she made you uncomfortable." Dean ran a hand through his hair and looked around his room.

Castiel erased the words on his board and sat down to continue reading his book. Dean left for work about an hour later.

Lisa hadn't told anyone about Castiel when Dean went to school the following day. He was relieved but a little sad that Lisa didn't seem to want to hang out with him anymore, not that he could blame her.

* * *

"Come on, Sam!" Dean shouted after his brother as he ran across their yard to pick up the football he'd failed to catch.

"You threw it too high, Dean!" Sam picked up the football and stopped to catch his breath.

"Get taller." Dean laughed as Sam rolled his eyes and walked a little closer before throwing the ball to Dean.

"You better watch it, Dean. If my height now is anything to go by, I might be taller than you one day."

Dean laughed again as he threw the ball back to Sam. "Yeah right."

Castiel smiled as the brothers continued to argue and toss the football back and forth. It was a warm April afternoon and Castiel was finally able to feel safe sitting outside again. He was sitting on the step of the back door with his notebook in his lap. He was sketching one of the trees with his pencil. He had started drawing a lot recently and found he enjoyed it more than anything else.

As Sam jumped to catch a throw by Dean, Castiel looked down as his rough sketch of the yard to see where he would add Sam if he had the skill to do so. He hadn't been practicing long enough to draw moving objects very well. He tried to draw a bird once while it sat at the window of Dean's room, but it flew away before he'd gotten too far and the finished product was a little lopsided. Dean had insisted that it wasn't that bad, but he figured he was just trying to keep his spirits up.

The door opened behind the angel as Mary stepped out. She smiled at the angel's drawing. "You're getting pretty good, Castiel."

Castiel smiled up at her and shrugged. It was definitely his best drawing, but that wasn't saying much at this point.

"Dinner is ready if you want to eat." Castiel nodded to her and put his pencil away as he stood. She looked out to the yard and called for her boys to come eat as well.

They called back to her and started racing to the door. Castiel entered the house quickly so he didn't get caught up in the brothers trying to get inside first.

The angel laughed silently as they wrestled through the doorway argued about who had made it in first. The four of them sat down to eat dinner.

* * *

It was a Saturday and Dean was home watching Sam while their parents worked. Castiel was sitting in the living room reading one of Dean's books while Dean was moving around the kitchen. He had been doing so for about twenty minutes and Castiel was getting curious as to what exactly he was doing.

At the smell and sound of something cooking, Castiel finally got up and went to check on Dean. He had a pot and pan on the stove. Chicken was cooking in the pan and the pot seemed to be filled with water. Castiel tilted his head and moved closer as Dean shuffled with the other ingredients on the counter, he had yet to notice Castiel.

Castiel could see a printed recipe on the counter. Dean was leaning over it and reading over it, lips moving along. He then turned and almost ran into the angel.

"Whoa!" Dean jumped and took a step back. "I didn't know you were in here."

Castiel smiled and pointed at the stove with a questioning expression.

Dean looked a little shy and shrugged. "I'm cooking dinner. Mom and dad should both be home in time tonight to eat with us. I wanted to help."

Castiel's smile widened more when he thought about how much Mary was going to love that. He nodded and reached out a hand for one of the utensils Dean was holding. He wanted to be a part of this too, besides Dean looked frazzled already.

Dean got the idea of what Castiel was asking and he handed him the big wooden spoon. "Once the water starts boiling, add those noodles and stir with the spoon." Dean pointed to the big pot full of water.

The angel nodded.

The pair of them worked together smoothly and cooked dinner successfully and were just turning off all the heat when Mary arrived home. John was due home in about twenty minutes.

Mary could smell the food and made her way to the kitchen. She was smiling before she saw anything. She had a good idea who was responsible. She rounded the corner and saw Dean and Castiel standing by the stove and gathering plates to put on the table.

"What's going on here?" She chuckled when Castiel turned so fast he almost knocked a spoon off the counter with his wings.

Dean smiled and opened his arms. "We made dinner."

"I see." She nodded and walked close to inspect the food. "And whose idea was this?"

Castiel looked pointedly at Dean before walking away with the plates. Dean shrugged and put his hands behind his back.

"You've been working so much lately. I wanted to thank you by making dinner."

Mary shook her head. How did she get such good boys? "I didn't know you knew how to cook anything that didn't go in the microwave."

"I've picked up a few things at the restaurant. Does it look okay?"

"It looks wonderful. Thank you, sweetie." Mary cupped Dean's face and kissed his forehead. "Now, go get your brother."

Dean smiled at the approval and went up the stairs to get Sam. Castiel set the table and saw Mary take a taste of the sauce the noodles were in. She seemed to like it. She then turned to the angel.

"You helped him cook too?" Castiel nodded as he walked around the table. Mary walked over to Castiel. "Thank you."

Castiel looked at her and smiled while waving a hand dismissively. He didn't think it was a big deal to help Dean.

Mary laughed. "Castiel, I'm very glad you're here and I appreciate everything you do." She put a hand on his shoulder and held his gaze to let him know she was serious. He softened and nodded. She pulled him close and pecked his forehead briefly. She felt the angel tense slightly at the contact but he touched her elbow gently as she pulled back, letting her know he was okay.

"As far as I'm concerned, you're one of my boys too." Mary squeezed his shoulder as she said it.

Castiel felt the impact of those words like he'd been hit in the chest. Tears started forming in his eyes but he shook his head and pulled Mary into a full hug. She returned it after a brief chuckle.

"What do you mean you cooked?" Sam was following Dean down the stairs cautiously. He was expecting some kind of trick since he'd left him alone all night, but Dean didn't seem to be messing with him.

"I cooked dinner. I don't know what part is giving you trouble." Dean was almost at the last step when he saw Castiel embrace his mom, wings flaring up happily. He stopped, causing Sam to bump into him.

"Dean, move." Sam pushed by him and saw the pair hugging as well and stopped. "What happened?"

Dean just shrugged and continued to the dining room while Sam followed. "Everything okay?"

Mary and Castiel stepped away from each other and looked at them, both smiling. Mary waved a hand. "We're fine. I was just thanking Castiel for helping you make dinner."

About twenty minutes later, John arrived and the whole family sat down to eat together. John was also happy with Dean cooking for his mother and he was beaming the whole meal from his dad's praise.

After they ate, Dean and Castiel went back to his room. Dean was sitting on his bed and looked at Castiel.

"So, what brought on that hug with my mom? What'd she say?"

Castiel smiled and wrote down what she had said and showed Dean. He smiled and nodded. No wonder he had hugged her like that.

"I'm glad she told you that, Cas. It's true. You're a part of this family." Dean smiled at the angel and how his wings always seemed to puff up when he was happy.


	9. Chapter 9

(The following year)

Dean and Sam were home for Spring Break and were enjoying a Tuesday at home while their parents were at work. Sam was watching TV in the living room while Castiel did a few chores Mary had asked him to do. Dean was upstairs.

Once he was finished with the work, Castiel went upstairs to see what Dean was doing. He'd been quiet all day. He was a few feet away from the door when he heard someone playing guitar and singing. Castiel realized it had to be Dean but he'd never heard him sing or even look at a guitar. He moved closer to the door, which was cracked slightly, and listened.

The singing was soft but Castiel could hear it well and was shocked at what an amazing voice Dean had. He put a hand on the door and pushed it open slowly. Dean was sitting on his bed and facing away from the door.

Castiel stepped into the room and pushed the door mostly closed behind him. He watched as Dean continued strumming the guitar and singing quietly to himself. His head was moving along with the beat and Castiel could see he was getting lost in the music. Castiel smiled.

When Dean finished his song, he looked to the side and took a few breaths. It was then that he noticed the angel listening by the door. Dean jumped up from his bed, holding the guitar by the neck with his left hand.

"Cas! How long have you been there?" He had never sang in front of anyone before and was very self conscious about it.

Castiel grabbed his marker board from Dean's desk and wrote. _Not long. Please don't stop._

Dean huffed a laugh. "No I won't put you through any more of my singing." He moved to put the guitar away.

Castiel shook his head and moved forward to grab Dean's wrist. Dean waited as Castiel wrote.

 _You have a wonderful voice._

"You don't have to lie, Cas."

 _I'm not. Please sing._

Dean smiled at the written words. Castiel seemed to genuinely like his music. "Alright." Dean moved back to the bed and sat with crossed legs. Castiel took a seat at the desk and waited for Dean to decide on a song to play.

After thinking a minute, Dean decided on one of his favorites: _Hey Jude_. It was what his mom used to sing to him as a lullaby and it was the first song he remembered learning and singing. He didn't even notice Castiel's presence after the first few chords.

Castiel sat motionless as Dean got lost in the song and closed his eyes. He watched how his fingers moved over the strings easily, like he'd played this a thousand times. Castiel recognized some of the words and realized it was something Mary would sing to herself around the house during the day.

As Dean lost himself more, Castiel had an urge to get his sketch pad. Mary had bought it for him when he turned 18. Castiel picked it out of the desk and started sketching Dean as he continued singing. He had gotten much better at drawing people and moving objects.

They sat that way for several minutes as Castiel got a good outline of his sketch. He wasn't anywhere near finished when Dean ended the song. Dean looked at him as if to question if he wanted him to keep going or not. Castiel encouraged him to keep going.

Dean laughed and picked another song. As he continued playing, he could tell his voice was getting louder, but he wasn't nervous about that now. He had been worried that Sam would hear him and come up to watch, but now he didn't think about that and just played.

He went through a couple more songs before finally putting down his guitar. Castiel seemed too focused on his drawing to notice immediately that Dean had stopped. Dean smiled as the angel concentrated on his work.

When the angel finally looked up, Dean pointed to the sketch pad. "Can I see?" Castiel shook his head and pulled the sketch pad closer. "Why not? I sang for you."

Castiel closed the pad and wrote on his board. _It's not finished yet. When it is, you can see it._

"Fair enough." Dean stood and put his guitar back in its case. He heard a tap and turned to see more written on Castiel's board.

 _When did you learn to play? I've never seen you do that before._

"Last summer. When I went to that camp for a couple weeks, one of the girls there taught me the basics. She could tell I had an interest and helped me." Dean put the case in the back of his closet. "I haven't had a lot of time to practice since then, but I do when I can."

 _You should keep it up. You're good and obviously enjoy it._

Dean smiled. "I might. It's a nice way to relax. Kind of like the way you are with drawing." Castiel nodded in agreement. "Let's go see what Sam is doing."

Dean led Castiel out of the room and felt the angel's hand in his. Castiel still held Dean's hand most of the time when they walked around. Dean had gotten so used to it that he didn't find it strange or even notice it was happening most of the time.

Sam was still watching TV when they entered the living room. He glanced up as they entered the room. He then looked at their joined hands and smiled before looking back to the TV. Sam saw them do that a lot. Castiel also seemed to stand close or touch Dean a lot, but Dean never noticed. Sam shook his head and took a drink of his soda.

"What're you watchin'?" Dean let go of Castiel and sat next to Sam. Castiel sat by Dean.

"Nothing." Sam was flipping through the channels trying to find something good. "What were you guys doing up there?"

"Nothing. Mind your own business." Dean wasn't about to tell Sam that he had basically been singing to Castiel for the last half hour.

Sam laughed at Dean's quick answer. "Shouldn't you be getting ready for work, Dean?"

"No, why? What time is it?" Dean leaned forward and tried to grab Sam's watch.

"About 2:15." Sam smiled. He knew Dean worked at three today.

"Shit!" Dean stood up quickly and ran upstairs. It usually took him about 30 minutes to get downtown so he didn't have much time to change and leave.

Castiel opened his sketch pad as Dean rushed around upstairs. He looked at the picture of Dean. He still had a lot of shading to do but e liked how it looked so far.

Dean came down the stairs while buttoning his work shirt. "Okay, mom should be home in about two hours." Sam just nodded so Dean looked at Castiel. "Cas, you've got all the numbers if something happens."

Castiel nodded an affirmative. They'd gotten Castiel a cell phone when he'd mastered the written language. It was easier for everyone if they needed something when they weren't home or on a different floor. He only used the texting obviously, but they had regular calling available too in case of emergency.

"Good." Dean went to the closet by the door and took out his jacket. "Hey, Sam, what did you have to do tomorrow? I remember you telling me, but I don't remember what it was."

"Don't worry about it. I'll just ask mom to take me."

"She said she might be picking up some more time this week. I can take you. What did you need?"

"I just have a class project I need to work on with my partner."

"It's Spring Break."

"Yeah, well not every teacher lets their students off during that week."

"Okay, so where do you need to go?"

"The library. We're meeting there to work on it together."

"No problem. See you guys later. Have fun."

"You too." Sam looked back as Dean opened the front door and slipped on his jacket. He left with a wave to them.

Sam sighed when he couldn't find anything to watch and turned off the TV. He looked at Castiel as he worked on a drawing. Sam leaned over to see what he was doing. He caught a glimpse of Dean's face before the angel pulled it away.

"Sorry. I was just curious."

Castiel waved and turned to a blank page to write. _It's okay. I'm just not finished with that one yet._

"Oh," Sam chewed his lip as he thought of what to do. "So, anything new with you, Cas?" The angel shook his head. "Me either."

 _What's the project for?_

"English class. We have to do a short presentation about a poem the teacher gave us." Sam wasn't excited about it. He liked reading and most of the assignments he got in English but this one was hard, mostly due to his partner.

 _Do you get to work with a friend?_

Sam felt his face get warm at the question. "Yeah, you could say that. We got to pick partners for this."

 _That's good. Who's your partner?_

He hesitated before answering, but he knew Castiel wouldn't tease him like Dean would. "Jessica."

Castiel nodded. He recognized that name. Sam had worked with her a few times before and Dean had always poked fun at him about it.

"Can I tell you something, Cas?" He nodded. "Promise you won't tell Dean." Castiel put a hand over his heart in a promise. "I really like Jessica and I don't know what to do about it."

Castiel smiled. He had suspected as much by the way he reacted whenever Dean teased him. Sam seemed worried and was wringing his hands.

"I mean, she's really nice and smart and I think about her a lot. I think she likes me too but she's so nice that I don't know if she's just like that with everyone or not."

He wasn't sure how to help. Castiel didn't have any experience with something like this, but Sam seemed to be looking for help.

"Do you think I should tell her?"

Castiel furrowed his brows in thought before writing his answer. _I don't know, Sam. I'm a little out of my element with that, but maybe you could try to show her how you feel and see what she does? If she doesn't seem to respond, you might have your answer._

"Thanks, Cas. I might do that. I'm not sure how but…" he sighed and slumped against the couch in defeat.

He put a hand on Sam's shoulder to comfort him. He hoped he didn't worry about it too much. He would be 13 in a couple months but he had a lot of time for girls.

* * *

The following day, Dean and Castiel walked into the library with Sam. He seemed nervous and kept smoothing down his hair. Dean watched him curiously.

"What're you doing?"

Sam put his hands down quickly. "Nothing."

"Uh huh. So, how long do you think this is gonna take?" Dean really didn't want to hang out in a library during his week off.

"I don't know." Sam scanned the library to see if he could find Jessica.

"Well should I bother driving home or will I have to drive right back?"

Sam rolled his eyes. "I don't know, Dean! We'll probably be here an hour or two."

"Great, then I'll just go home and you can call when you're done."

"Sounds good." Sam spotted Jessica coming in the front door. "See you later, thanks." Sam tried to push Dean to the door before he saw Jessica, but it was too late.

"Hi, Sam." Jessica waved as she made her way over.

"Hi, Jess." Sam felt a wide smile on his face. She was smiling too and it was contagious.

Dean looked between them and could see how big a crush Sam really had on the girl. "Jess?"

Sam looked at Dean. "Jessica, this is my brother Dean."

"Yeah, I've seen you around school." She turned green eyes to him, long blonde hair falling behind her shoulder, and smiled again.

"Glad to finally meet the Jessica Sam always seems to be working with." Dean laughed as Sam covered his face.

Jessica chuckled. "We have a lot of classes together. Besides, I like working with Sam. I know he'll actually do his work and not put it all on me like other people do."

Sam felt his heart skip a beat when she said that. He saw Castiel watching him with a pleased expression. He shrugged at the angel and looked back when Dean spoke.

"That's Sam. Such a good kid."

Jessica nodded in agreement and then looked at Castiel. "Who's this?"

Sam stepped toward her. "That's Castiel."

"It's nice to meet you, Castiel." Castiel nodded to her. "We should probably get started." She put a hand on Sam's arm.

"Yeah," Sam looked at Dean and tried to keep his smile down, "I'll call you."

Dean was smirking at him, wanting to stay and watch Sam squirm, but Castiel tugged on his arm. "Yeah alright." He waved as they walked off. "You think we could hide somewhere and see what happens?"

Castiel rolled his eyes and started pulling Dean to the door. He hoped Sam would try to test how much Jessica liked him, but it seemed like she felt the same as Sam.

Dean drove them back home after picking up some lunch in a drive thru. Dean was already eating his food as he unlocked the front door. He sat on the couch and pulled out his fries. Castiel walked to the other side of the couch to join him.

"So Jess is cute, for a thirteen year old." Dean talked around a mouthful of food. Castiel shrugged. "I wonder if Sam will be able to tell her how much he likes her."

Castiel smiled as he thought about the talk he and Sam had. He ate his food slowly while Dean had already finished his and took his bag to the kitchen to throw away.

"We've got an hour or so to kill. Anything you want to do?"

Castiel considered the question and then pulled out his phone to text the answer to Dean. _I would really like if you could practice playing your guitar some more. Just so I could finish my sketch._

Dean read the text and laughed. He didn't think the angel would ask that. "Really?" Castiel nodded. "Okay. Let me go get it, and I'll grab your sketch pad too while I'm up there."

Dean went up the stairs to get his guitar. The sketch pad was on the desk. He picked it up and flipped it open. There were a few drawings of the yard and one of his mom and Sam. Dean then saw the page with the unfinished drawing of him. It was pretty good already. Dean couldn't believe how much Castiel had improved since starting.

He made his way down the stairs and saw Castiel throwing his bag of trash away. Dean handed him the pad and a pencil and then moved to sit on the couch. He put the guitar case on the floor and opened it.

Castiel sat on the floor with his pad resting on his crossed legs. He waited while Dean decided what song to start with. Once Dean started playing, Castiel continued shading in the guitar.

Dean simply played a couple songs to start with. He needed to build up to singing anything. Even though Castiel was the only one home, he was still nervous to sing in front of anyone.

About ten minutes later, Castiel had moved up to Dean's face. He was lucky that that was the moment Dean started singing. It was a country song Castiel had never heard. He had to wait a minute to continue drawing so he could really listen to Dean sing. His voice was so pleasing to Castiel that he was sure he didn't want to ever listen to anyone else sing. Dean switched to an upbeat song and Castiel was snapped out of his trance. He continued his drawing.

He was almost finished when Dean's phone rang. Sam was calling to be picked up. Castiel opted to stay home while Dean left. He put a few finishing touches to the drawing and was proud to call it finished before Dean got back.

When Sam and Dean arrived, Castiel was reading on the couch. He looked up at Sam when he passed and he gave Castiel a thumbs up. The angel smiled, happy that it worked out well for Sam.

Dean sat next to Castiel as Sam went up to his room. He nudged the angel. "So, did you finish that drawing?"

Castiel nodded and put down his book. He picked up his pad and held it out to Dean.

"You sure?" Dean knew the angel could be hesitant to show his work to others, much like he was with his music.

Castiel nodded slowly. Dean took the pad from him and opened it up to his picture. He had to stop his jaw from dropping. The progress from just a couple hours ago was astounding. The detail gave Dean an eerie feeling of looking at a black and white picture.

"Wow, Cas," he looked at the angel and saw a guarded hope in his eyes, "this is incredible." The angel relaxed and smiled. "Seriously, it's really good."

Castiel's wings flared up briefly in happiness. He had hoped Dean would like it. Castiel knew it was the best drawing he'd ever done.

"You know, you could probably be a professional artist." Dean handed the pad back to the angel as he shrugged. "No, come on. I mean it."

Castiel turned to a blank page to write. _Well, you could be a pro musician._

Dean laughed. "Except for the whole terrifying anxiety thing."

 _I'm sure if you started letting more people hear you it would get better over time._

That sounded like the opposite of what Dean wanted. His heart rate picked up just thinking about it. "No, Cas, I don't think that's for me. It's a hobby, but that's all."

Castiel dropped it for now and they settled in to watch something on TV until Mary came home.

* * *

Sam and Jessica started hanging out more outside of school and considered themselves a couple. At 12 and 13, they didn't do much other than go to movies or hang out at each others houses playing games or watching movies.

Jessica was even a part of the family celebration for Sam's 13th birthday that May. Everyone cheered and clapped as Sam blew out his candles.

Mary was cutting up the cake when Jessica pulled Sam aside into the living room.

"Happy Birthday, Sam." She had a hand on his shoulder and she leaned forward to press a soft kiss to his lips.

Sam's heart stopped for a second and he barely had time to return the kiss before Jessica pulled back. They smiled and laughed. It was Sam's best birthday.

Dean looked at Sam and Jessica when they came back to the kitchen. By the bright smile on Sam's face, Dean could guess what happened. He was proud of his little brother. Dean slapped Castiel's arm and pulled him closer by his sleeve.

Castiel looked up in alarm as he stumbled closer to Dean. He then pointed to Sam. Castiel looked over and saw a very happy Sam and Jessica. He looked back to Dean and shrugged.

Dean leaned in close to whisper. "I think little Sammy just got his first kiss."

Castiel turned back to Sam with a smile. He was happy for him and he could tell that Dean was too.

Everyone took a piece of cake and stood around the kitchen to eat. Sam and Jessica were eating at the counter. Sam looked across the room at his brother and saw him standing close to Castiel speaking in a low voice. The angel seemed transfixed by what Dean was saying. Sam wondered if his brother could tell how much Castiel cared about him. Dean laughed and held the angel's elbow gently and led him out of the kitchen and up the stairs.

That night something happened that hadn't happened in a long time: Castiel had a nightmare. It used to be a pretty frequent occurrence but it hadn't happened for months. He had woken up when one of Castiel's wings hit his bed hard.

"Cas?" Dean sat up and was nearly hit by the wing. "Cas!"

He quickly slid off his bed and moved to the end of Castiel's cot. He couldn't be hit by a wing if he stayed by the angel's feet. Castiel was twitching and flapping his wings frantically.

"Cas, it's okay. You're dreaming." Dean crouched down and gently touched the angel's ankle. Castiel flinched and pulled his legs up. "Come on, Cas." Dean leaned over the bed some and put a hand on his leg again.

Dean felt a strong punch to the cheek and fell back to the floor. Castiel had bolted up to a sitting position and swung his wings around, landing a hit to Dean's face.

"Son of a bitch!" Dean rolled to his side and touched the hot cheek, feeling it swelling already.

Castiel was awake now and jumped off his cot and rushed to Dean. He helped him sit up and looked terrified. Dean's cheek was already getting dark. He got up and ran out of the bedroom and down the stairs to get some ice and a towel.

Dean sat on his bed while Castiel made him an icepack downstairs. He had hoped that the angel wouldn't have any more nightmares but it was probably something he'd deal with for most of his life.

Castiel came back with the ice wrapped in a towel. He held it against Dean's cheek. Dean hissed from the cold and pain. His wings were pulled in tight behind him. He shook his head when Dean put his hand over the angel's to take the icepack.

"I got it, Cas."

He nodded and slipped his hand out from under Dean's. He picked up his marker board to write on it.

 _I'm so sorry, Dean._

"I know you didn't mean to. It's okay."

 _No it's not. I could've really hurt you._

"I'm fine." Dean felt part of his eye swelling now too. "You wanna talk about it?" Occasionally, Castiel would tell him a little bit about his nightmares. They usually revolved around his last owner or the abuse he took on the street.

Castiel shook his head. This last nightmare was about his last owner and some of the things he wasn't ready to tell Dean about yet.

"Alright, that's okay. I'll be right back." Dean stood to go check himself in the bathroom.

He moved the icepack once in front of the mirror so he could look at the blue and black cheek. It hurt but he knew it would be a lot worse in the morning. He took a couple Aspirin out of the cabinet and took them before heading back to his room.

Castiel was sitting on his cot when he got back. When he made to stand up, Dean put up a hand.

"You're fine. We should get some sleep."

The next morning, Dean's family was alarmed by the bruised face, but once he explained what happened, they were sympathetic and understanding. He was more irritated by the questions he got at school that day. He usually just replied with 'nothing' when people asked what happened. Eventually, they stopped asking.

* * *

A couple weeks later, the school year ended. On the last day, Sam was quiet and seemed upset the whole drive home. They were almost to the house when Dean finally asked him what was wrong.

"Nothing." He mumbled it with his arms crossed in front of his chest.

"Right." Dean drove silently and they pulled into the driveway. He knew Sam would talk if he wanted to.

"It's Jess."

"What about her?" Dean shut off the car and waited.

"She's leaving." Sam dropped his arms and stared out the passenger window.

"The school or…?"

Sam shook his head. "The state. Her dad got a job in Nevada and they're moving there. They were just waiting for her to finish this year of school first."

"I'm sorry, Sam."

"She wanted to tell me earlier, but she found out right before my birthday and didn't want to spoil that for me."

They sat in the car together in silence for a few minutes. Dean felt bad for Sam. His first crush and girlfriend was leaving. He'd never had that happen, but he couldn't imagine it would be easy.

When Sam got out of the car, Dean followed and stopped him with a hand. Sam looked like he was ready to say something, but Dean silenced him with a hug.

"I'm sorry, brother. This really sucks."

Sam stood still in confusion. Dean didn't let go so Sam returned the hug. It wasn't often that Dean was this nice to him. Dean clapped him on the back a couple times and then pulled back. He put an arm around his shoulders and walked in with him.

Mary and Castiel were folding laundry in the living room when they entered.

"Hi boys. How was your last day?" Mary smiled at them both.

"Great! Can't wait for the summer break." Dean held Sam tight in a head lock and led him to the stairs. Sam slapped at him and pulled at his hold.

"Dean, stop!" Sam couldn't help but laugh as Dean led him up the stairs. He knew that he was trying to get him away from their mom before he had to tell her about Jessica.

He let go of Sam when they got up the stairs. "See ya." He waved at Sam as he went back down the stairs. Sam rolled his eyes.

Dean was getting a drink out of the fridge when Castiel entered the kitchen. He greeted the angel as he read what was on his marker board.

 _Is Sam okay?_

"He's fine." Dean opened his soda can and saw the angel raise a brow in disbelief. "He'll be okay."

 _What happened?_

Dean lowered his voice so his mom wouldn't hear. "Jess told him that she was moving today. Her family is moving to Nevada."

Castiel's face fell in sadness. _Poor Sam. How long until she leaves?_

"I don't know. I think he said a couple weeks. He'll be alright, he just needs some time."

Castiel nodded. Dean walked by him, clapping his shoulder a couple times.


	10. Chapter 10

(The next year)

Dean was about half way through his senior year when he was accepted to the university that was only about half an hour away from home. He had gone back and forth for a while about going to a community college or a university and decided to go for the whole college experience of living in a dorm and partying on campus.

The college would also allow Dean to have Castiel come and live with him. Angels were usually common on college campuses but not all of them would allow the students to have them board with them as well.

Dean was surprised by how much he was actually looking forward to college. He had never liked school too much, but he could feel that this would be different. He and Castiel were talking about it one night while he did his homework.

"Teachers in high school try so hard to scare us about how hard college will be, but some of my friends with older siblings said that it's all bullshit. Unless you're trying to be a doctor or a scientist or something, it's almost easier than high school."

 _You really believe that?_

"Yeah. We'll get more freedom, longer deadlines for assignments, classes that are so big that the teacher won't know whether we're there or not, and parties everywhere. I'm really excited for this." He only had a few months left of high school and he was ready to move on.

 _I can tell._ Dean's wide grin made Castiel smile. He felt a little bittersweet about the idea of leaving for college. He liked the idea of having more time to spend with Dean, but he would miss his time with the rest of the family and the comfort he'd had in this house.

"I'm sure there will be a lot of other angels there too. You'll have a chance to meet and get to know more of your kind."

 _Maybe_. He hadn't had a lot of experience with other angels. He didn't know how he'd feel about interacting with others.

"I just wish it didn't cost so much. I've applied for a few scholarships, but it's not like I'm top of my class so I'm not holding my breath."

 _You never know. You have to at least try, right?_

"Right. I've been picking up more hours at work too so I can save a little more." Dean knew he'd have to take out loans, but he wanted to avoid any that were too high.

Dean turned back to his science homework and continued writing out the answers to the chapter questions he had to turn in tomorrow.

Once he was done with that, he and Castiel started playing Mario Kart. They were sitting on the edge of Dean's bed. This was one game that made Castiel competitive and more animated than Dean had ever seen.

"Dammit!" Dean exclaimed as Castiel used a lightning bolt on the other racers in the game. The angel had a good lead now.

A few curses later, Castiel won first place. He raised his arms up in victory as they started the awards scene. Dean had gotten third.

"Shut up, Cas." Dean shoved him a little bit. The angel just laughed, nose scrunching up, as he kept himself balanced on the bed. "I'll get you on the next one."

Castiel shook his head and bumped Dean in the back with his wing. Dean returned the hit with another push. The angel raised his brows and shoved Dean in the shoulder. He'd seen him and Sam wrestle enough times now to know that this was what they did. Dean dropped his controller and used both his hands to push Castiel again.

That was how the match started. Soon Dean found himself bent over in a head lock from the angel, who was much stronger than he used to be.

"God, uncle!" Dean laughed as he held onto the angel's arm around his neck.

"Hey, Dean, can I borrow…" Sam had walked in without knocking and was surprised with the sight he found. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Hey, Sammy." Dean took a breath as Castiel let go and he stood up. "What do you need?"

"Uh, I don't remember." Sam looked between the both of them. Castiel had a hand on Dean's shoulder and his brother didn't seem to notice. "Never mind." He turned around and left.

"That was weird." Dean turned back to Castiel and saw his arm drop. "So, another round?" Dean pointed to the TV. Castiel nodded and they sat to play more. They ended up pretty even with the wins by the time they went to sleep.

* * *

It was Dean's graduation and he couldn't have been happier. High school hadn't been too great and he was ready to put it behind him. His family met with him after the ceremony.

"I'm so proud of you, honey." Mary hugged her son and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Thanks, mom." He pulled back and was then hugged by John, who gave him a pat on the back before letting him go.

Castiel stepped up next and pulled Dean in for a tight hug. Dean let out a surprised huff but wrapped his arms around Castiel's waist under his wings. The angel held him for a long hug and wished that he could say how happy he was for Dean but he settled for the hug and squeezed Dean's shoulders.

Dean smiled as Castiel pulled away. Their hands clasped together briefly as their arms dropped. He was still looking at the angel when Mary spoke.

"Well, any parties going on tonight?" She figured Dean would want to celebrate with some friends tonight.

"No," he looked at his mom, "not that I know of." Honestly, Dean just didn't feel like going out. He wanted to stay home with his family.

* * *

 _Feel good to be free of high school?_ Castiel held up the marker board. They were in Dean's room trying to decide on a movie to watch.

"Yeah it does." Dean laughed as he shuffled through the movies. There wasn't one they hadn't watched a couple times already. "I'm just gonna have a crazy busy summer practically working full-time, but that's okay." Dean didn't mind working and he was doing it to raise money to use at college.

 _Will you still work on weekends once school starts again?_

"Probably not. At least, not at first. I want to see how busy I am before I try to add a job on top of all my other work."

 _Sounds like a plan._

Dean sat on the edge of his bed with a sigh. "Cas, I need to ask you something." He patted the bed next to him.

Castiel sat next to him with a worried look. "We haven't really talked about this, but about you coming to college with me, do you even want to?" Castiel looked confused so Dean kept talking. "I mean, I just assumed and then made all these plans without even thinking about what you might want. If you wanted to stay here with the family, I would understand. I'm sure mom would like the help around the house and you've gotten comfortable here…" Dean paused to see what Castiel might think. The angel looked like he was thinking it over.

It hadn't even crossed Castiel's mind that he would stay behind while Dean was at college. He felt the best when Dean was around. It would be easier to stay here and Dean would visit often since the college was so close, but it would be hard to not see Dean everyday. He started writing his response.

"I don't want you to feel like you have to do anything, Cas. I'm sorry I didn't ask you about it earlier." Dean watched as he wrote a few lines on the marker board and took it when the angel handed it to him.

 _Dean, I'm always surprised by your concern for getting my consent. I'd never had anyone care about that before I met you. But you don't need to worry. You assumed correctly. I never even considered you going without me._

Dean laughed. "Okay then."

He handed the board back to Castiel and watched him erase it with his sleeve. He was really happy that Castiel wanted to come with him. Being alone when he started college wasn't something he was interested in.

"I'm glad you'll be with me, Cas." Dean reached out and put a hand on Castiel's shoulder.

The angel smiled and looked at Dean. He moved his hand up closer to Castiel's neck and squeezed gently. Castiel leaned over and bumped Dean's shoulder with his forehead. Dean hooked his arm around Castiel's neck and laughed.

"Now," Dean let Castiel go, "is there anything special you wanna watch? 'Cause we've seen all my DVDs at least once already." Castiel shook his head. "Okay."

Dean stood and picked one at random. They settled in to watch it.

* * *

"Dean, can I ask you something?" Sam had waited until Castiel went upstairs to shower. Sam was eating a dinner Dean had made for them while their parents went out together.

"Sure." Dean was flipping through the television channels, not really paying attention.

"What's up with you and Cas?"

"What are you talking about?" Dean hadn't looked away from the TV.

"I mean, you're always together, you always seem to be touching, and I've seen the way you look at each other…"

Dean sat forward and turned to Sam. "What are you trying to say?"

Sam shrugged, looking down at his food. "I don't know. It just seems like you're a lot closer than friends. There's nothing wrong with that. I'm just curious."

"You think Cas and I…we're friends, Sam." Dean didn't know why he would think differently. Sure he was probably closer to Castiel than anyone else, but it was nothing weird.

"If you say so." Sam tried to keep his smile down. He could see Dean questioning some things internally. "Does Cas see it that way?"

"What?"

"You may not know much about angels, Dean, but I've been reading up about them. Mostly about reading how they express things with their wings. They show more feeling that way than with anything else."

"So?" Dean never noticed his wings doing anything strange, but maybe he'd gotten too used to it.

"So, his wings are always pulled in tight and small when he's around most people. That means he doesn't feel fully safe or relaxed. When he's around you, they're open and hanging loose around him. I've even seen him brush you with them. That's supposed to be something that they only do with family or very close friends."

"Well, I'm glad you became such an angel expert."

Sam rolled his eyes. "Whatever. He just seems to have a lot of feelings for you and I don't want him to think it's something more and get hurt."

"It's not. Don't worry about it, Sam." Dean turned back to the TV.

"Okay." Sam wasn't convinced but he dropped it. Maybe he would try to talk to Castiel about it another time.

Dean shook his head as he finally decided on a channel to watch. Sam was crazy. Castiel was just a good friend. He was a part of the family and he cared about him a lot, but surely Castiel didn't feel anything more, right?

He was still thinking over this when Castiel came downstairs after his shower. His hair was still wet and he dropped onto the couch next to Dean. He smiled when Dean looked at him.

Dean returned the smile. He tried not to think about what Sam said, but he told himself that he would pay more attention to Castiel's wings and see if he could see what Sam was talking about.

Over the next week or so, Dean did notice how expressive Castiel was with his body language and wings. He had always noticed it to some degree, but he didn't pay much attention then. He was comfortable with most of the family but he was very different around Dean.

There were times when he would still hold Dean's hand or arm, he would usually sit close enough that they'd almost be touching, and did touch Dean with his wings often. All just like Sam had said. Dean still didn't read it as anything other than two friends that were close. He didn't think about it much again the rest of the summer.


	11. Chapter 11

It was move in day for Dean. His whole family was helping him and Castiel move their stuff into their dorm room. They claimed the bunk beds in the room since there was only one other bed. Dean's roommate must not have an angel.

John dropped a box with their clothes next to the beds. Sam was walking around inspecting the room. Mary began unpacking the clothes.

"Are you excited, honey?" Mary handed the clothing to Dean.

"Yeah." He smiled and brought the shirts to the closet closest to the beds. "More than I expected to be."

"How about you, Castiel?" She looked at the angel as he placed Dean's laptop on the desk by the foot of the bunk beds.

He smiled at Mary and nodded. It was a big adjustment for him, but Castiel was ready to start something new.

Dean left a couple minutes later to get the keys for the room and floor. Sam went with him so he could see a little more of the building. They had to go down a couple floors to find one of the common rooms.

Students and their parents were clogging up the halls as they looked around and walked slowly and tried to find the right room. Dean and Sam entered the room where there were a few tables set up labeled with floor numbers.

"There's floor five." Sam pointed to the line at the end of the table. He and Dean went to stand at the end of the line behind a girl with long red hair.

The line was moving pretty quick and soon they were just a few people away from the table. Sam pushed up to his tiptoes to see the end of the line.

"Dean," Sam slapped his arm, "look."

"What?" Dean pulled his arm away and looked at his brother. Sam pointed to the table. Dean looked up, craning his neck to see over the heads of the students in front of him. He could see a pair of light gray wings beside the man giving out the keys.

There was a female angel sitting next to the man. She was smiling at the girl currently at the table and said something that made the man laugh.

"Who do you think she is?" Sam kept bouncing up on his toes to see the angel.

"How would I know?" Dean felt himself get more excited at the idea that an angel would be involved with his floor somehow, and that she could speak. Maybe he could ask her some things about angels.

"I heard she's with our RA." The red head in front of them spoke as she scrolled through a page on her phone. She turned to them and looked up with a smile.

"How'd you find out about that?" Sam stopped bouncing when she turned around.

"I have my ways." She looked at Dean. "I'm assuming you're the one moving in? He looks a little young to be starting here." She pointed to Sam.

Dean laughed. "Yeah, I'm Dean."

"Charlie." She raised a hand in greeting.

"This is my brother Sam." Dean patted his shoulder.

"Hi, Sam."

"Hi. So, how did you find that out already?"

Charlie laughed. "I can't reveal my secrets."

Dean smiled as Sam frowned. "You from around here?"

"No, I've lived all over. Different foster houses all over the country. I haven't been to Kansas in a long time though. You?"

"Born and raised local. We live about thirty minutes away."

"Wow. Why the hell are you spending so much extra money to live here then?" Charlie glanced behind her and took a couple steps as the lined moved.

"Just wanted the whole college experience I guess." Dean shrugged.

"Sure, and it'll be nice to have some freedom too, right?"

"Exactly."

"Well, I'm in room 540 if you get bored or want to start any trouble." She smiled.

"505."

She nodded and turned back to face forward. Dean and Sam followed the line as she stepped up to the table. When they were that close, Dean got a good look at the angel sitting at the table. She had long dark hair and large green eyes. She seemed to be assessing Charlie as she answered the man's questions.

Her wings were relaxed and open. One of them seemed to be resting on the man's back. She didn't talk much but she did greet Charlie before scanning the room again. Her eyes landed on Dean and he almost jumped when he realized he'd been staring. He smiled and nodded to her. She smiled back briefly before turning her gaze away.

Charlie took her keys from the RA and spun around to leave. "See ya, buddy." She gave his arm a punch as she left.

Dean laughed and rubbed his now sore arm. "Hi." He stepped up to the table.

"Hi, name?" The man looked down at his list.

"Dean Winchester." He watched the man scan the list for his name. He had short brown hair and talked with a deep southern accent.

"There you are." He pressed his pencil into the paper. "505, right?"

"Yes."

"Okay." He drew a line through Dean's name and then pulled out two sets of keys from the metal box on the table by him. "Is Castiel with you as well?" He looked up, bright blue eyes meeting his.

"Yes, he's up in the room with my parents."

The man smiled and held out the keys. "One of those sets is for him. One key will get you onto the floor from the stairs and the other is just for your room."

Dean took the keys and put them in his pocket. The man marked out Castiel's name as well. He didn't know his name would be on the list.

"My name is Benny. I'll be your RA for the year. I'm in room 520 if you have any problems or questions, I'm the one you can tell or ask. We'll have our first floor meeting tomorrow at 6pm and I'll go over all the dorm rules and regulations."

"Okay." Dean nodded.

"Do you have any questions?" Benny looked between the both of them.

Sam shook his head, even though he probably didn't need to. Dean looked at the angel. "What's your name?"

She glanced at Benny before answering. "Andrea."

"Hi, Andrea." He looked back at Benny. "Am I the only other one on the floor with an angel?"

Benny checked his list. "No, we've got three other students with an angel staying with them. Be sure to bring Castiel with you to the meeting."

"I will, thank you." Dean smiled to the both of them and turned away to go back to his room.

Once they were in the hall, Sam spoke. "Wow, your RA has an angel. That's awesome."

"I guess." Dean grabbed Sam and pulled him out of the way of a few people moving down the hall.

"I mean, if you have any trouble about Castiel being around, at least your RA will be on your side." Sam slapped Dean's hand off his shirt collar.

"Yeah, I guess that's a good thing. Hopefully I won't have any problems." They made it back up the stairs and went through the door that was propped open since there were so many people going through the building today.

His parents and Castiel had unpacked most everything and were just waiting for Dean to get back.

"There he is." Mary stood from the bed. "Did you find it okay?"

"Yeah, and I think I made a friend." Dean smiled and walked over to Castiel to hand him his keys. "Her name is Charlie and she's on this floor too."

"Oh good."

"And his RA has an angel that was there when he checked in." Sam sat at the desk.

"Really?" John asked from behind Sam.

"Yeah." Dean turned to look at his dad. "She was sitting by him. Her name is Andrea."

"Good, at least you'll have someone on your side." John nodded approvingly.

"That's what I said." Sam looked at Castiel to gauge his reaction. The angel seemed surprised.

"He told me that there were a few other students with angels on the floor too, so I won't be the only one."

"And Castiel won't be the only one either." Mary put a hand on his shoulder.

"Right." Dean smiled as his mom and Castiel shared a look.

"So, Dean," Mary looked back to him, "is there anything else we can help you with?"

Dean shook his head. "I don't think so."

"Alright, well," she looked around at the others, "I guess we'll head on home then. We were hoping to meet your roommate before leaving, but I guess we won't."

"I'll tell you all about him." Mary stepped up and hugged him. Dean rested his head on his mother's shoulder. "I'll be back to visit soon. It's not like I live far away."

"I'm glad for that." She kissed him on the cheek. Dean returned it before letting her pull away. "Have fun, sweetie."

"I will, mom." John stepped up next and pulled Dean into a hug.

"You call me if you have any trouble." He pulled back to look at his son.

"I will. Hopefully, I won't have any." They smiled at each other and John stepped back toward the door. He looked up and waved a goodbye to Castiel, which the angel returned.

Mary walked over to Castiel and engulfed him in a hug. Castiel returned it, flaring his wings happily behind him.

"What am I going to do in that house when you're not there?" Mary laughed. Castiel leaned his head against hers. She lowered her voice so only Castiel could hear. "Don't forget what I said, Castiel. You're a part of this family and always will be. You're one of my boys."

Castiel had to close his eyes to keep back tears that started burning his eyes. He held Mary tighter.

Dean felt his chest clench when he saw Castiel hug his mother for so long. He could tell how close they had gotten over the years and almost felt bad about the angel staying with him. They let go of each other and Mary stepped away to join John.

Sam walked up to Dean. The brothers just looked at each other briefly before Dean looked up and pulled Sam into a tight hug.

"I'll miss you, Sammy." Sam laughed. "Stay out of my room."

Sam pushed Dean away playfully. "Why would I want to go in there anyway?"

Dean smiled and tousled Sam's long hair. "And stop getting taller." He wasn't too far from matching Dean's height.

"I'll do my best." He looked at a smiling Castiel. "Bye, Cas."

Castiel waved to him. They watched them leave down the stairs and returned to their room.

"Is there anything left to unpack?" Dean looked around at the empty boxes. Castiel shook his head. "Good. So, you want to walk around and check this place out?" Castiel nodded.

They left the room. Dean locked it. It had been open when they got there, but now that his stuff was inside, he didn't want to leave it unlocked. His roommate was just gonna need to get his key first.

They made their way around to look at where the other rooms were as well as the bathrooms. Each set of about five rooms had its own small bathroom nearby with just a couple stalls and showers. There were a few people walking around but Dean didn't see any other angels yet.

"You wanna meet Charlie? She seems pretty cool." Dean looked at the angel. He nodded. "Okay, she's in room 540. I haven't seen any over here higher than 520. She must be across the stairs."

Castiel nodded in agreement and followed Dean to the stairs and across to the other open door. The setup was the same as his side. They both began searching for the right room.

"What are you doing creeping around on this side of the stairs?"

Dean and Castiel both turned to see who had spoken. Dean laughed when he saw Charlie with her hands on her hips.

"Just looking for some trouble." He smiled at the redhead.

"Well you found it." She looked at Castiel. "Who's this?"

"Castiel." The angel stepped forward and waved. "This is Charlie." Castiel raised his brows and looked closer at the girl.

"Hi, Castiel." She looked back to Dean. "Why didn't you tell me you had an angel staying with you?"

Dean shrugged. "It didn't come up."

She shook her head. "So, did your family head home?"

"Yeah."

"So you decided to come over to the girl's side of the stairs and lurk around?"

Dean hadn't realized the girls and boys were divided like that. "I guess so."

"Of course I would end up in the one dorm on campus that splits boys and girls like that. The joke is on the school though 'cause I wouldn't want to be anywhere else."

Oh. "Well aren't you lucky."

"I really am." She waved at a couple girls that passed them. "You met your roommate yet?"

"No, he hasn't gotten here yet."

"Too bad. Mine's pretty cute and I think I might just have a chance. We'll have to see."

Dean laughed. "Good luck with that."

"You guys wanna check out the campus?"

Dean looked at Castiel. The angel shrugged. "Sure."

The three of them left the dorm and walked around outside. There were large groups of people everywhere. When they got to the quad, students were all over the grass. Some were throwing Frisbees or footballs. A few had blankets out and were just sitting in groups.

They kept moving and got a good look at a lot of the buildings on their end of campus. Castiel was in awe. He'd never seen so many young people gathered in one place like this. None of them gave him a second look either. The angels walking with the students seemed happy and a part of the group.

Dean could see Castiel watching the angels in the crowd. He was holding Dean's arm, but only so he didn't get separated from the other two. He really hoped Castiel would feel safe and happy here.

About an hour later, they decided to eat at one of the restaurants in the Student Center. Charlie was talking about all the places she'd lived while they ate. They had found out that she really enjoyed talking.

"So, Charlie, how old were you when you were put in foster care? If you don't mind talking about it."

She nodded and swallowed the mouthful of food she was chewing. "It's okay. I was thirteen. My parents…there was an accident."

"God, I'm sorry. You don't have to talk about it." Dean hadn't wanted to bring up any bad things for her.

"I'm fine. After that, I just bounced around from one family to another. I was pretty troubled back then. This last family has lasted almost two years, which is the longest one. It's because of them that I even finished high school." She picked at her food absently.

"I'm glad for that." Charlie looked up at him. "Otherwise, you wouldn't be here with us."

She laughed and looked between the two boys. "I suppose it was a good thing then."

They ate in silence for a few minutes before Charlie spoke again. "I'm assuming Castiel hasn't spoken because he can't?" Castiel looked slightly taken aback but he nodded. "Did you do that?" She looked at Dean.

"No."

She nodded. "How long have you known him?"

Dean liked that she said known and not owned. "A little over two years."

"You like staying with him?"

Castiel smiled and nodded. He picked up a pen from the table and wrote on the napkin close to her.

 _I couldn't have asked for a better family._

"Aww, he's so sweet." She looked back at Dean with a smile. "Did he already know how to read and write or did you teach him?"

"I taught him." Dean smiled at the memory of Castiel's excitement during those first few lessons.

"Good for you."

"It made it a lot easier for us to communicate. Only being able to ask yes or no questions was difficult."

"So Castiel just always writes down his responses?"

They both nodded. "And he has a phone to text with."

Charlie watched them thoughtfully. "You know, I do know sign language. I could teach you both that if you wanted. It would be faster for both of you."

Dean and Castiel looked at each other. They were both surprised by the offer. Castiel nodded and shrugged. He would love another way to communicate with others.

"Yeah, that would be awesome. Thanks, Charlie." Dean couldn't believe his luck with meeting her the first day here.

"No problem. I'd be more than happy to help you guys."

"How did you learn sign language?"

"I had a couple deaf friends in high school. I got tired of not being able to talk to them as easily so I had them teach me."

Dean laughed. "Wow."

They spent the next half hour talking about Charlie's computer hacking abilities, Dean's affinity for fixing things, and Castiel's drawing ability. Once they had finished their meal, they headed back to the dorm.

"I'll text you guys to set up the first lesson day."

"Sounds good."

"Later." She waved to them as she went in her side of the stairs. Dean and Castiel waved back and entered their side.

"I like her."

Castiel nodded in agreement. She was funny and very nice. He was excited to learn sign language from her.

When they got to their room, the door was unlocked. They went inside and saw that their roommate had arrived and was sitting at his desk. He glanced up when they walked in and then quickly looked back at his laptop.

Dean stopped by his desk. "Hi, I'm Dean. This is Castiel. You must be our roommate."

He just nodded. Dean wasn't sure if he should wait for him to talk or not. He didn't have to wait long. "I'm Rick." It came out as more of a grunt but he understood.

"Hi, Rick." When it was obvious he wasn't going to talk anymore, Dean just shrugged and walked away. Castiel was standing by their beds. He whispered to Castiel, "Not much of a talker I guess. I'll be right back. Bathroom break."

Dean slapped his shoulder before leaving. Castiel felt a little nervous once he was alone with Rick. Although he didn't seem to even notice Castiel, he had a bad feeling. It wasn't long before his instincts showed correct.

"You know, I don't know why anyone lets things like you in schools."

Castiel looked back and saw Rick glaring at him from his desk. His heart rate picked up as he grew more nervous.

"Dean should at least have the decency to keep you on a leash." Rick stood from the desk and moved closer to Castiel. "Things like you should be kept tied up in a corner. That's where you belong, not in college."

Anger and fear flared up inside the angel. He wanted nothing more than to hit Rick but he didn't want to get Dean in trouble.

"It would figure that you're too stupid to say anything. Just stay the hell away from me. I've already tried to get a transfer from this room but that other angel fucker, Benny, wouldn't let me."

Castiel was getting worried about how close Rick was, but he didn't move away. They both heard the door and Rick turned quickly to his bed and picked up some clothing and left the room in a rush.

"What's up with him?" Dean was smiling.

Castiel shrugged. He turned to his bed and tried not to think about what just happened.

"You okay?" He could tell the angel was upset. Castiel just nodded. "Cas, what happened?" He waved a hand. "No, tell me." When Castiel made to wave again, Dean grabbed his hand and turned him to face him. "Tell me."

Castiel bit his lip. He didn't want to upset Dean or cause him to do anything stupid. He took out his phone and started tying up the text.

 _He really doesn't like me Dean. He told me that I belonged tied up in a corner and to stay away from him._

Dean read the text with increasing anger. "What the fuck? That bastard!" He turned and made to go after Rick.

Castiel grabbed his arm and shook his head. "Cas, he can't talk to you like that."

When he moved again, Castiel held him tighter and pushed him towards the bed. "Cas!"

He shook his head and started typing quickly. _Don't! He's not worth getting into trouble._

"So what, I just let him treat you like shit?"

 _He told me to stay away from him and I will. If he's so against me, he probably won't spend a lot of time here._

"I guess you're right. I still don't like it." He shook his head and moved to sit at his desk. "We've got orientation tomorrow. Let's just think about that. Hopefully we'll meet more people like Charlie." Castiel nodded in agreement.

As it grew dark, Dean and Castiel got ready for bed. Dean took the top bunk so it would be easier on Castiel's wings. He would normally sleep in a way that would let his wings hang loose and free, but that felt too vulnerable in Rick's presence. Now he slept with his wings pulled close to his back and resting against the wall so he could face Rick.


	12. Chapter 12

A/N- Throughout this story, I use several forms of communication. When there is spoken conversation, it's in quotes like normal. When something is written down, typed on a computer, or texted, _it is written in italics like this._ When angels are speaking to each other telepathically, 'it will be written like this with one apostrophe.' When sign language is being used, _'it will be in italics between a single apostrophe like this.'_ As you are reading, this will probably become a lot more clear.

* * *

Orientation started at 10am and Dean was ready to get started. Rick had been gone when they woke up and he was relieved not to see him with his group at orientation. They spent the next few hours talking with the group of students and getting the official tour. They all had lunch together and it was nice to just hang out outside.

When that was over, they went back to their room. It was empty. They decided to play a card game while they waited for the floor meeting.

At 6pm they made their way to one of the areas with couches while the floor gathered for their meeting. Benny and Andrea were there talking to one of the guys on the floor. Castiel and Dean sat on one of the couches.

"Well, this'll be fun." Dean was tired of these big group meetings. He just wanted to go sit in his room with Castiel.

Charlie entered their side of the floor and waved to them. She landed on the couch next to Dean with a plop.

"Hi guys. How was your orientation?" She pulled her legs up so she could cross them on the couch.

"Fine." Castiel shrugged. "Nothing too exciting."

"Me too. College has been pretty boring so far. You meet your roommate yet?"

"Yeah," Dean saw Rick sit on the other side of the room, "unfortunately."

"That bad?"

"Major dick." He stared at the guy and wished he could do something.

"Unclench, Dean." Charlie put a hand on his shoulder and laughed.

"Sorry." He smiled at her and tried to relax. Castiel put a hand on his other arm. He looked at him and tried to give him a reassuring look.

A few minutes later, Benny called for everyone's attention. When everyone was quiet, he spoke.

"Alright, this is our first floor meeting. Most of you already met me, but I'm Benny," he pointed to his left, "this is Andrea. I'll be your RA this year. So, if you have any problems or questions, I'm the one you need to talk to."

Dean glanced around at the group and finally saw that there were five angels that would be living on the floor. He noticed Castiel making the same observation.

"Now, this dorm, as well as most of the school, allows angels and because of that we have a few living on this floor. Andrea will go over some of the rules we have regarding them."

Andrea stepped up and lightly brushed Benny with her wing. "There are just a few things I need to outline for everyone. If you have an angel, you should hopefully know these already.

"First, all angels' senses are much more sensitive than humans. Smells, sounds, and light can be too much for us. Keep the angels on the floor in mind about noise. Second, don't **ever** touch an angel's wings without their explicit consent. Wings are very sensitive and can be sharp. You could easily hurt them or yourself if you're not careful."

Dean saw most of the angels pull their wings in closer at that. She continued, "Finally, I want all the humans to understand that despite what you may have been led to believe, angels are naturally docile and peaceful creatures. We don't want to hurt anyone or cause trouble. All we ask is the same respect from others."

Castiel looked at Rick and saw the boy roll his eyes. He wondered what could've happened to him to make his this way. Andrea's voice snapped him out of his watch.

"If it comes to our attention that someone is acting inappropriately or abusing an angel, harsh action will be taken."

Dean felt himself smirk at that. He looked at Rick and saw him clench his jaw. Dean reached out and took hold of Castiel's wrist. He hoped the angel would feel a little safer now.

Benny stepped up next to Andrea. "And that will lead us to the other rules we have. First, I want to say that my door will always be open. When I'm here, anyone can come in and talk. I'll help as much as I can. Now, to go along with the angel rules, we do have a rule about noise. After 10pm it's considered quiet hours. No loud noises should be played or made by anyone that late out of respect to your neighbors. The walls are thin and everyone will either be trying to sleep or study."

Charlie snickered lightly. Dean looked at her and she shrugged while biting her lip in an attempt not to laugh.

"This is also a dry dorm and campus. There is no alcohol allowed in the rooms, even if you're over 21. If you're found in possession of alcohol or having consumed it, you will be expelled and turned over to the authorities. Same goes for any drugs as well, obviously."

Charlie leaned in to whisper. "Well shit, there go all my plans." Dean and Castiel stifled their laughs.

"And just a word of advice, please keep your doors locked when you leave your rooms. It isn't an official rule and I can't make you do it, but I strongly urge it. Theft is possible and will happen. That being said, if you're found having stolen something from anyone living here, you will be kicked out of the dorm, possibly the school.

"Lastly, we have a couple forms for everyone to fill out with their roommates. It's just a roommate agreement that outlines all the acceptable and unacceptable things between you and your roommate. You should go over it together and then sign it. If someone violates it, you can bring it up to me and I will take action that could include having them moved. Angels don't need to worry about signing."

Benny started handing out the forms. As he did Andrea spoke again, "I also want to let the angels know that they can come to me anytime if they'd feel more comfortable talking to me."

Once everyone had gotten their forms, Benny stood beside Andrea again. "I'll need those forms back at the latest by midday tomorrow. These floor meetings will happen every week or two. I'll also be organizing some floor activities if any of you'd all like to get to know each other better. You'll all be living on the same floor for a year. You might want to make friends."

Benny adjourned the meeting and everyone started scattering back to their rooms. Charlie hung back to talk to Dean and Castiel.

"You guys want to start your lessons tomorrow night? I'm done with classes by five."

"Sure." Dean looked at Castiel to confirm and got an affirmative.

"Awesome! See you guys then. Have a fun first day of classes, Dean."

"You too, Charlie." They all waved as she left to cross the stairs.

Dean and Castiel went back to their room. Rick was already there and looking over the roommate agreement. They decided to fill it out now.

After the first few questions, Rick just signed his and handed it to Dean. "I probably won't be around enough for this to matter anyway. Just give mine to Benny for me, would you?"

Dean didn't have time to answer. Rick grabbed a soda from his desk and left.

"Yeah, sure." Dean rolled his eyes and looked at Castiel. "God, he's such a jerk."

Castiel nodded and picked up his board. _I hope he was serious about not being around much._

"Me too." Dean signed his form and picked up Rick's. "I'm gonna go bring these to Benny. You wanna come?" Castiel nodded and stood to follow.

They made their way to Benny's room and found the door open. He had a single room and was sitting at his desk. Dean knocked on the doorway.

"Come on in." Benny turned as Dean and Castiel entered.

"I just wanted to drop these off." He held out the forms.

Benny took them. "Thank you."

Andrea entered the room behind them. They both stepped aside to give her room. "Hello."

"Hi." Castiel waved.

She moved to stand by Benny as he looked over the forms. "So, Dean, you're staying with Rick. He's not gonna be a problem is he?"

Dean and Castiel looked confused. They didn't know how Benny knew about his issues already.

Benny laughed at their looks. "He's already tried to get me to move him to another room or floor."

"He has?"

Benny nodded. "I told him I couldn't. With it only being the second day, nobody has left yet so there aren't any openings. Besides, I would need a legitimate reason to move him before the end of the semester."

"Legitimate reason?"

"Yeah, like if there was a serious problem between the three of you or if he had some kind of medical need. Disliking angels isn't a reason I can use to move him, even if I'd like to." He raised a brow and looked at them both seriously. "Will he be a problem for you?"

Dean looked at Castiel. He was ready to ask for him to be moved, but it was just based on a gut feeling. It was Castiel he was worried about. The angel met his gaze and gave a small nod.

"No, we'll be okay."

As Benny spoke again, Castiel could hear Andrea's voice in his mind.

'Will you really be okay, Castiel?'

Castiel looked at her and could see the concern on her face. 'Yes.'

'You can tell me anything. I won't tell Benny if you don't want me to. Has he hurt you or threatened you?'

Castiel hesitated a moment. 'He did tell me that I belonged tied up in a corner and to stay away. He didn't hurt me. I've heard much worse.' She still looked worried. 'We'll be fine.'

She smiled slightly and looked at Benny, giving him a nod. He smiled and turned back to them.

"If there are any issues, please let me know. I'll do whatever I can to help."

"Thanks." Dean turned to leave and unconsciously reached for Castiel's arm. Castiel let Dean lead him out of the room.

They walked back to their room and Castiel sat on his bed. Dean dug his schedule out of his folder on the desk and went over it again.

"Okay, tomorrow I've got speech at 8am," he threw his head back, "ugh, then angel studies at 9. That lets out at 10 and then I'm free until 2. So, after angel studies, I'll come back and maybe we can get lunch?"

 _Sounds good._

"You gonna be okay with being here alone?"

 _You worry too much. I'll be fine._ Dean raised is hands in surrender and let the issue rest. Truth be told, Castiel was a little worried. He wasn't sure what Rick would do when they were alone together without the threat of Dean coming back. He hoped he would have a lot of classes Monday.

* * *

They weren't sure when Rick had come back, but when Dean woke up early for his first class, he was there sleeping. Dean climbed down from the top bunk as quietly as he could, but he wasn't surprised when he saw Castiel was already awake.

"I'll text you when I'm done with classes." Dean kept is voice low. "Text me if you need anything."

Castiel nodded tiredly. He had woken up as soon as Dean moved above him. He wasn't fully awake yet and would probably fall back asleep when Dean left. With a yawn, he pulled his covers up over his wings farther and closed his eyes.

Dean came back from getting his clothes and saw Castiel sleeping. He changed quickly and left with his books. He really hoped everything would go okay.

About one hour later, Castiel heard Rick moving on his bed. He cracked an eye enough to see him stand and walk slowly to his closet before leaving with a change of clothes. Castiel stretched under his cover and turned on his stomach so he could let his wings relax.

Rick came back a few minutes later, having changed in the bathroom, and grabbed his books. Castiel saw him give him a brief look before leaving with his bag. He heard the door lock from the outside.

Dean was walking across the quad to get to his angel studies class as he pulled out his phone. He sent a text to Castiel as he yawned. Speech had been uneventful and hard to get through while being so tired.

 _Done with speech. On my way to angel studies. Any problems?_

 _No. He left about fifteen minutes ago._

 _Good. I'll let you know when I'm on my way back._

 _Okay_

Dean put his phone back in his pocket and walked a little faster so he wouldn't be late.

Dean entered the large classroom and found a seat in the third row. It looked like there were almost 100 students in this class. Almost four times the size of his speech class. Hopefully, that would be a good thing and he wouldn't need to worry about being called on to answer anything.

He took out his textbook and notebook. He checked his watch once people had stopped filing in the doors. There was about one minute before class was scheduled to start. Dean glanced around, hoping to maybe see Charlie or a familiar face from his floor. He didn't recognize anyone.

Then it suddenly got very quiet and most of the students had turned to look toward the front of the classroom. Some whispered to each other while others just stared. Dean turned to see what they were looking at. His mouth opened slightly when he saw what it was: the professor had just entered the room.

He was tall, had short blonde hair, was wearing a nice suit, and had large white wings. Dean didn't know that angels could even become teachers, let alone professors at a university. It seemed most of the class had thought the same. The man went about his business of unpacking his things like he didn't notice the change in the room.

Then, the professor looked up to greet the class. "Good morning everyone." He had a British accent.

There were a few mumbled returns, though most of the class was silently staring.

"This is Basic Angel Studies so if that's not the class you're supposed to be in, now you know. My name is Balthazar. You can call me Professor Balthazar, or if you find that too much of a mouthful, as I do, Professor works."

Balthazar looked up and down the rows of students slowly as if studying them as he talked. Dean suddenly felt nervous.

"As you can tell, I am an angel. If that's a problem with anyone, you have exactly two minutes to pack up your things and leave and there will be no hard feelings. If you wait longer, I will be offended." He smiled and looked around the class.

Dean raised his brows and glanced around the room. It was silent a few moments, but soon there was rustling scattered around the room. About twelve students had stood and were heading for the doors. Dean was shocked.

"Of course," Balthazar crossed his arms and watched the students leaving, "I am the only professor on campus that teaches anything related to angel studies, so you'll need to either change you're major to avoid those classes or change your mind."

A couple of the students that were halfway to the doors stopped and reconsidered. They found their seats again.

Balthazar waited for all the moving students to leave before continuing. "Now, I'll tell you all a little bit about myself. As most of you can guess from my voice, I was not raised in America, but I was born here. In this very city actually."

Dean looked up. That was an interesting fact.

"I spent the beginning of my life with a breeder before being purchased by an English couple. They brought me to England with them and had me help around the house. Despite being the 'help' they cared for me like I was their own and made sure I was educated. When I was old enough, they let me declare my citizenship and helped me get into college. They're a lot more relaxed about angels in Europe. I went on to get my doctorate and eventually came back here."

Dean was leaning on his desk. He was already so glad that he signed up for this class. The more he could learn about what angels could, or were allowed to do, the more he could help Castiel.

Balthazar picked up a stack of papers and moved to an aisle to hand them out. "This is your syllabus for the semester. I'll go over them more once you all have one. If you have extras at the end of the row, just hand them to the person in front of you until they end up at the front and I'll take them back."

Dean took the paper when it got to him and read over it quickly. As Balthazar walked across the room, Dean couldn't help looking at his wings again. He'd never seen wings that white before. There were some gray spots on the larger feathers, but it was mostly white. Most angels he'd seen had dark gray or even black wings. He wondered if maybe the light hair affected that or not.

He took the extra syllabus from a girl in the front row. "Oh good. I only made one extra copy."

Dean looked up again. He'd only made one extra copy? If no one had left, he wouldn't have had enough for everyone. He must've known how many people would leave.

"Before I go over the syllabus, I'd like to begin how I always do. I have a question for you all and I expect full class participation." Dean could feel some of the students tense up at that. "By a show of hands, how many of you either own an angel personally or your family owns one?"

He hesitated just a moment before raising his hand, along with most of the class. Balthazar nodded like he expected about that much.

"Keep your hands up please. I've got at least two more questions for each one of you."

Dean felt his heart thudding hard in his chest. He didn't know what was going to happen and he didn't like that.

"You first." He pointed to a girl at the very back of the class. "We'll just make our way down the rows until we get to the front. But you: how many angels?"

The girl put her hand down. "Two." Her voice was shaking and Dean could barely hear her. She cleared her throat as if to repeat it louder.

"It's alright, dear. I can hear you just fine." Balthazar smiled sweetly. "Two angels." She nodded. "Do you own them or your family?"

"My family."

He nodded. "My second question: why?"

She hesitated. "Why?"

"Yes."

"I don't know. We've just always had angels. My parents did too when they were younger. I never asked why."

"Okay." He looked around at everyone. "Please understand that I'm not looking to shame or accuse anyone of anything. This is just something I do to gain information and maybe inform those of you who never owned angels." He nodded to the girl before looking to the boy a couple seats down from her. "Next."

Dean cursed himself for sitting so far down now. His arm was raised for a long time before they got close to him. Most of the answers were very similar to the first girl. They had one or two angels, usually because they always did or because their family needed a maid or housekeeper. Only one or two said something that seemed to make Balthazar a little angry. His wings would tense behind him briefly, Dean noticed.

Finally they got to him and Dean was wondering what he would even say. How would he explain Castiel's situation without telling a big story?

"Next. How many angels?" Balthazar was standing at the bottom of the stairs in front of him.

Dean put his hand down, feeling blood rush back into his hand. "One."

He nodded. "You own them or your family?"

"I do."

Balthazar squinted slightly as if trying to read him better. "Why?"

Dean swallowed down the lump in his throat. "Because…I wanted to save him."

The angel tilted his head curiously. That was an answer he hadn't heard. "What do you mean by that?"

"I didn't want to own him, but I was told it was the only way I could take care of him."

Balthazar still seemed confused and prompted him to continue. "About two and a half years ago, I found him on the street being beaten up by a group of…jerks." Dean fought hard not to curse and saw the corner of Balthazar's mouth twitch upward.

"You saved him?"

"I made them leave. They were kicking him and spitting on him. One of them had broken one of his wings." Balthazar's face cringed in sympathy. "I couldn't leave him alone. He was in no condition to survive alone anymore."

"So, the only way you could've helped him was to own him?"

"Legally, yes. He needed medical attention and a place to live. His last owner had thrown him out after years of horrible abuse and I…I just wanted to help him."

Balthazar took a step up closer to Dean. "Did you bring your angel here with you?"

"He's with me, yes." He hadn't asked any of the other students that.

"Are you local?" He was searching Dean's eyes again and Dean couldn't make himself look away.

"Yeah. My parents are about half an hour from here."

He looked at Dean a little bit longer before seeming to be satisfied and turned away from him. "Next."

Dean let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. They finished through everyone and then quickly went over the syllabus. Balthazar told them to start reading chapter one of the text as he'd start going over it Wednesday.

He left feeling strange and excited. It would be interesting to have an angel as a teacher but he wasn't sure how Balthazar felt about him. He couldn't wait to tell Castiel about it.


	13. Chapter 13

A/N- Throughout this story, I use several forms of communication. When there is spoken conversation, it's in quotes like normal. When something is written down, typed on a computer, or texted, _it is written in italics like this._ When angels are speaking to each other telepathically, 'it will be written like this with one apostrophe.' When sign language is being used, _'it will be in italics between a single apostrophe like this.'_ As you are reading, this will probably become a lot more clear.

* * *

He had texted Castiel on his way back so the angel had unlocked the door for him. He came in and found him browsing the internet on the laptop.

"Hey, Cas." He dropped his bag on his desk.

Castiel looked up and smiled. He held up a page he had written before Dean arrived.

 _How were your classes?_

"Interesting." He sat on the edge of Castiel's bed that was close to the desk. "My teacher for angel studies is an angel."

Castiel looked away from the computer with a shocked expression. He opened Word on the computer and typed on a blank page.

 _Really?_

"Yeah, I couldn't believe it. I didn't know that was even allowed. He seems really cool though. Not sure if he likes me or not, but it'll be interesting to be taught by an actual angel."

 _It would. What's his name?_

"Balthazar. He said he was born here, but he was raised in England."

The name seemed vaguely familiar to Castiel but he wasn't sure why.

 _When did you want to get lunch?_

"Any time you're ready. I'm hungry."

 _We can go now._

"Awesome."

They left to get lunch in the food court. He had chemistry and math starting at 2 and he wasn't looking forward to it.

After lunch, they went back to the room and watched some videos on his laptop. It was hard for them to find a comfortable way to watch the small screen together.

"We need to get a TV."

Castiel nodded in agreement and they both laughed.

Dean checked his watch a little later. He needed to leave soon to get to his chemistry class. He sighed and pushed himself up from Castiel's bed.

"I've gotta head out. I should be done with class by four."

Castiel nodded and waved. Dean waved and left for class.

* * *

At four, Dean texted Castiel to let him know he was on the way back. His last two classes had been mind numbingly boring. The only bright spot had been a cute blonde in his math class. She had left before he had a chance to talk to her, but he'd try again another day.

Charlie had sent him a text while he was in class that said they could meet for dinner before their first lesson with her. He sent a reply back that they would meet her in the food court.

He went up to his room to drop off his books and talk to Castiel for a little bit. When it was close to five, they went down to the food court to wait for Charlie to get out of class.

About twenty minutes later, she came running up to their table with a tray of food. "What's up, bitches?"

Castiel was surprised by the greeting, but Dean laughed. "Charlie."

"How was your first day?" She turned to Dean as she picked up a fry.

"Eh," Dean shrugged, "my angel studies class was probably the most exciting part of the day. The professor is an angel."

"Wow, that's cool." She took a monster bite of her chicken sandwich and looked at Castiel. "How about you, Cas?" The question was greatly muffled by the food in her mouth.

He just shrugged as well and waved a hand to say not so great. She nodded in understanding.

"I couldn't imagine being stuck in my room all day with nothing to do. I'd probably go insane." She took another bite. "Of course, if I had my computer I could do a lot to entertain myself."

Dean chuckled. "I bet." He smirked at her.

She smacked his arm. "Not like that, perv."

Dean raised his hands. "Hey, I meant that your awesome hacking skills could keep you busy. Get your mind out of the gutter."

Charlie laughed. "Yeah, I'm sure that's what you meant."

They spent the rest of the meal discussing classes and tried to plan out the best days and times for their sign language lessons. They agreed that a couple days a week would probably be enough and that from now on Mondays would be better between their classes at 11 instead of after and on Fridays at the same time.

The three of them went back upstairs and into Charlie's room. Her roommate was gone. Charlie said she was a theatre major so she would be gone a lot with play practices and auditions.

"I always liked the artsy theatre types. They usually tend to be more accepting and up for anything." She raised her brows a couple times and jumped to land on her bed with a bounce.

"Just be careful, Charlie. We don't want you getting thrown out for inappropriate behavior." Dean pulled a chair from Charlie's desk and pointed to a cushy chair in the corner for Castiel.

Castiel moved the big circular chair closer to the bed and sat down. He had to pull his legs up to balance in the chair properly.

"Okay," Charlie pulled a few sheets of paper out of a purple folder and held them out to them, "these are your cheat sheets for the alphabet. We'll learn that first and go from there."

They each took a page and looked it over. It didn't seem any more difficult to Castiel than learning how to write. He was excited to learn a quicker way to talk to Dean and Charlie.

The lesson went on for about two hours and Castiel was already getting the alphabet down. Dean was pretty good but needed some practice. Charlie's roommate came back a few minutes before they finished. She was extremely nice and talked to them a few minutes.

It was close to 9:30 when they crossed the stairs to their room. Most of the floor was back and either heading back and forth to the bathrooms or locking the doors for the night. Dean was hoping Rick would be gone until they fell asleep like last night, but they weren't that lucky.

The door opened without the key and they both braced themselves for Rick. He was typing on his laptop again like the last time they entered. They both ignored him and went to their beds.

Dean put his cheat sheet in the top drawer. Castiel was still looking over his. He faced the angel. "I'm gonna take a shower. Do you need to?"

Castiel shook his head and pulled out his phone. He showed Dean the text without sending it.

 _I did earlier when everyone was at classes_

"Okay." Dean gave him a pat on the shoulder and walked to his closet for his pajamas. He left the room to take a quick shower.

Castiel sat on his bed, still studying his sheet of sign language. He would practice while he was here alone. He saw Rick look around his computer to make sure the door was shut. Castiel moved to lean against the wall and tucked his wings behind him.

Rick stood up and turned to look at the angel. Castiel didn't look at him. "You didn't want to shower with Dean?"

Castiel looked over the paper to meet Rick's stare. He didn't want to give him any reaction so he raised the page more to block his face.

"What's that?" Rick moved quickly and took the page from Castiel's hands.

The angel jumped up quickly and tried to take it back. Rick turned and looked at the paper.

"Are you trying to learn sign language?" Rick laughed. "What good would that do? Can you even read?"

Castiel glared at the back of Rick's head. The urge to knock him with his wings was getting strong and he had to ball his hands into fists to fight it.

Rick turned around with a smile on his face that fell quickly when he saw the furious look on Castiel's face. "You gonna do something, angel?"

He felt his lip twitch as his glare burned into Rick. The guy actually took a small step back but still laughed.

"Go ahead. I dare you."

Castiel turned and grabbed one of Dean's notebooks and a pen. He flipped the book open and wrote quickly.

 _Give that back to me._

Rick watched in shock as the angel wrote. He read the words and looked back up to the angel's eyes. "Well shit, you actually **can** read and write." Contempt was clear in his voice.

Castiel shook the notebook to repeat the words. He raised a brow at him in insistence.

"Fine." Rick flipped the page at him, causing it to float ungracefully to land under Dean's desk.

He didn't look away as the paper landed. He had no intention of picking it up when Rick was near him.

 _Why are you like this?_

Rick huffed through his nose. "Believe me, I would much rather not have to deal with things like you."

Castiel pulled the notebook back and wrote with a heavy hand.

 ** _I am not a thing._** _My name is_ _ **Castiel.**_

Rick laughed. "Don't get all worked up. You should've just gone to shower with your owner. I'm sure he would've worked that tension right out of you."

Anger flared in Castiel.

 _Don't talk about Dean like that. We don't do anything like that._

"Too bad. He doesn't even get anything good out of having something like you around. Stupid bastard." Rick shook his head and turned back to his desk.

Castiel was shaking in anger. He underlined the sentence about Dean and slammed it on the desk beside Rick.

Rick jumped slightly at the sound but just laughed. "Settle down. I'm sure Dean will fuck you soon enough."

Castiel furrowed his eyebrows and shook his head. He pulled the notebook back sharply, wishing he could hit him with it. He dropped the book on Dean's desk and tried to take deep breaths to relax.

"That's what you want isn't it?" Rick had stood again. "Most owners use angels for that at some point. Especially ones as cute as you."

Castiel turned his head slowly. Rick was sneering at him. His heart was pounding loudly in his ears. He could hear the voice of his last owner at that moment. He'd said something similar towards the end of his ownership and his skin crawled at the memory.

Rick could tell he'd struck a nerve and wanted to push it. "If Dean doesn't want to do it, I'm sure someone else would."

Castiel pulled back away from Rick unconsciously. Every nerve in his body said to run, but he just stared at Rick.

"I bet you'd like that too wouldn't you?" Rick put a hand on the back of both his and Dean's chairs, blocking Castiel's exit.

The angel shook his head. Fear was beginning to make him panic. Memories were flooding back from his last owner and his breathing picked up. He needed to get out. He wasn't safe.

"You gonna cry?" Rick laughed as the angel started to bow forward.

In a sudden burst of panic, Castiel ran forward and easily pushed Rick aside to get through the room and ran out the door. He was steps away from the bathroom Dean was in but he ran to the stairs instead and descended the flights a little too fast and tripped on the last step. He stumbled into the door at the bottom and hit his forehead with a painful thud.

Tears stung his eyes as he opened the door and kept running until he was outside. He needed air. He had to get out. He wasn't safe.

* * *

Dean entered the room feeling better than he had in a couple days. Showers always made him feel good. He was confused to find Castiel gone. He hadn't seen him in the bathroom. Rick was on his computer like nothing had happened.

"Where's Cas?"

Rick shrugged. "I don't know. I asked him about that paper he was looking at and he ran out the door."

Dean knew that didn't sound right. He looked at the bed and saw Castiel's phone on it. There was also an open notebook on his desk. Castiel's heavy writing was a quick read for Dean. He could guess some of what happened. The page of sign language under the desk added to it.

"Where the hell is he?!" Dean kicked the leg of Rick's chair.

"I don't know! God, don't blame me if you can't contain your angel." Rick rolled his eyes.

"Fuck you, dick." Dean slipped his shoes on without socks and pulled out his phone. He texted Charlie as he started walking around the boy's side of the floor.

 _Have you seen Cas? Rick Dick did something while I was in the shower and he's gone._

 _Oh no. sorry I haven't seen him. Try his phone?_

 _He left it on his bed. Thanks if you see him let me know._

 _I will. Good luck_

Dean checked every bathroom on the boy's side and didn't find him. He was getting scared. He wouldn't leave the floor without his phone, would he? As he passed Benny's room, the door was open and he stopped.

"Benny?" Dean knocked.

"Yes?" Benny appeared from around the corner. "You okay, Dean?"

"No, I can't find Cas." He held his phone with both hands.

"What happened?" Benny was alarmed by that.

"I was taking a shower and I think Rick said some things that upset him. When I came back, he was gone. He left his phone behind and I've looked all over the floor and he's not here." Dean grew more panicked by the word. Castiel wouldn't run away, right? Why would he do that?

"Okay. I'll help you look for him." Benny looked around the corner he'd come from and raised a hand. Dean figured he was motioning to Andrea.

They both went into the common area. Benny shut the door behind them. "I'll take this stairway. You take the other and we'll see if he's there. Just go down until we're on the ground level. He may've just gone outside."

"He wouldn't do that without telling me."

"We don't know what happened, Dean. Let's just check." Benny kept his voice calm and gently led Dean toward the stair doorway.

"Okay." Dean nodded and entered the stairway. Benny walked down to the other side and entered that stairway. He walked down a few steps and called out the angel's name.

He continued down until he reached the bottom floor. He went through the door and saw Benny waiting alone by the elevators.

"Nothing?" Benny walked over. Dean shook his head. "Alright, I'll look around inside on this floor. You go outside and check around the building." Dean nodded and took a step. "Hey," Benny put a hand on his shoulder, "we'll find him."

"I know." Dean gave a tight smile and went out the door. The cool night air only intensified his worry. How long had he been gone? He shook the thoughts away and started searching.

He had circled around to the back of the building and gotten a text from Benny saying he wasn't inside and that he would start looking outside too. There were a few trees across the sidewalk from the building and Dean could see the tops of a pair of wings behind the tree.

Dean ran, fear pounding in his chest. He circled the tree quickly and saw Castiel sitting against the trunk with his knees pulled up to his chest and his hands in his hair. He had jumped when Dean appeared in front of him but dropped his head when he saw who it was.

He sighed and fell to his knees across from the angel. He called Benny.

"I found him. He's okay. Thank you for helping me."

"No problem. If something like this happens again, let me know."

"I will." Dean put his phone in his pocket. He took a few quick breaths, trying to calm his fear. Castiel was okay. He was right there. Fear turned to anger.

"What are you doing?" It came out harsher than he meant, but he was scared. "Why would you leave like that, Cas? I was terrified that I'd never find you. What were you thinking?"

Castiel covered himself with his wings and shook his head. He felt so guilty for scaring Dean. He should've just stayed in the room.

"Cas?" Dean lowered his voice and sat in the grass. "Look at me." The angel shook his head. "Please?"

Castiel sniffed and slowly lifted his head. Tears stained his face and he was still having trouble taking regular breaths.

Dean's anger melted the second he has the angel's face. He looked so upset that Dean couldn't be mad. "God, what happened? Are you okay?" He moved closer and reached out a hand.

Castiel jumped and pulled in closer to the tree. Dean pulled his hand back. It was like the first day on the street again. He moved back and back up to his knees.

"How can I help?"

The angel sniffed again and wiped his face and nose with his sleeve. He didn't want Dean to leave, but his panic jumped when he got closer. His breathing started skipping and he felt like he was hyperventilating.

"Cas?" Dean was alarmed by the way the angel was breathing. He seemed to be having a panic attack and he didn't know what to do.

He was getting light headed and he felt his arms reach out for Dean. The other boy took his hands and tried to make eye contact.

"Cas, look at me." Dean ducked his head down. Castiel's eyes were starting to glaze over. "Look at me, please."

Castiel looked up at Dean's wide eyes. He could tell that Dean was scared but he felt better when he looked at the green in his eyes. It made him think of freshly cut grass and the smell it had.

"Breathe with me, Cas. Stay with me." Dean waited until Castiel seemed to be more focused and took a deep breath. Castiel copied him. He held it a second and then let it out. Castiel followed. He did it a few times and felt Castiel's grip loosen.

He felt his panic fade and his heart rate slow. He breathed with Dean until he felt relaxed. He bowed his head and let go of him.

Dean grabbed Castiel's shoulders. "Are you okay?" The angel nodded. "Thank god." Dean pulled Castiel close in a tight hug.

The angel was surprised by the hug and held Dean close. He dropped his head onto Dean's shoulder and felt tears well up in his eyes. Shame burned inside as he thought of what he'd put him through.

Dean was going to pull back but Castiel held him tighter so he stayed where he was. "Okay, you're okay." Dean held him and just let him find whatever comfort he needed.

Castiel took a few shaky breaths and tried to keep the tears down. He was fine now. Dean was here and he was safe.

"Did he hurt you, Cas? Did he touch you at all?" The very thought made Dean angry again. The angel shook his head. "Good. What happened?"

Castiel pulled back slightly but kept his hands on Dean's arms. He wanted to tell him, but he was nervous about how he'd react.

"You can tell me, Cas." Dean could tell Castiel was worried or maybe embarrassed. "Did you want to go back inside?"

He didn't want to go back to the room yet at all. Castiel shook his head and gestured to Dean's phone. He handed it over so Castiel could type.

 _He was mocking me about learning sign language. Then he said some things about you that made me mad. I shouldn't have left. I'm sorry._

Dean read over the text slowly. He doubted that was everything that happened, but Castiel didn't want to talk about it.

"Alright, it's okay now. Maybe I should bring you to class with me, if you're worried about being alone with Rick again?"

Castiel shook his head. He didn't want to put him in that position. Castiel began to doubt his readiness to be here with Dean. Maybe he should've just stayed behind with the family. He took the phone back from Dean.

 _Maybe it would be best if I went back to stay with your parents. I can't have a panic attack every time someone says something mean._

It was hard for him to hand the phone back with that on it, but he thought it would be for the best. He felt like he might cry again when Dean started reading it.

"No, Cas." Dean looked up with wide eyes. "I don't want you to leave. I mean, I won't force you to stay, but I want you here."

Tears formed in his eyes and Castiel dropped his head. He wasn't sure he was strong enough to deal with Rick and others like him. He typed as much on the phone.

"You are strong. If you let that asshole chase you out of here, he wins. Don't give him that power over you."

 _You don't understand_

"No, I don't. I can't ever understand what you've been through or how you feel. All I know is that I want you here with me." Dean grabbed Castiel's hands. "Please, don't leave."

Castiel looked Dean in the eye and knew that he wouldn't be able to say no to him. He nodded and pulled his hands free to hand the phone back to Dean.

"You'll stay?" Castiel nodded again. Dean felt relief wash over him. He moved to sit beside Castiel and leaned against the tree. "We can just stay out here as long as you want."

He was grateful for that and sat silently with Dean for a couple minutes. He was feeling a lot better, but he didn't want to go back to the room. He just wanted to forget what happened and what it brought up.

"Oh shit!" Dean jumped, making Castiel jump too. "Sorry, I just remembered that I need to let Charlie know I found you."

He texted her and she was relieved. Dean apologized for not telling her sooner, but she was okay.

"You ready to head up yet?" He didn't want to rush him, but it was getting late. Castiel shook his head. "Okay."

It was about fifteen minutes later when Castiel felt ready to leave. They stood and entered the building again. They'd gotten up a couple flights of stairs when Castiel started to get nervous. He pulled on Dean's arm to stop him.

"Its okay, Cas. I'm right here." Dean held his shoulders. "We can wait."

Castiel's heart was thudding loudly in his ears. He wished he didn't feel this way. He knew he would be okay but he couldn't make his feet move.

Dean held Castiel's hand and took a slow step up, leading him up with him. They got up a couple steps before Castiel stopped again. Dean couldn't imagine what he'd been through for him to react like this.

He took a few breaths and tried to move forward, but he was too scared. He was frustrated with himself and dropped Dean's hand.

"Cas?"

The angel was angry and kicked one of the steps. Dean grabbed his shoulders again.

"We can stop again. It's okay."

Castiel looked down and dropped his wings. He moved forward quickly and buried his face in Dean's chest. Dean huffed in surprise and hooked an arm around Castiel's neck and waist.

"It's okay. Just stay with me, Cas. You're okay." Dean held Castiel briefly and then started moving them both up the stairs. It was a little awkward moving sideways, but he managed. Castiel seemed okay with it while Dean held onto him.

They finally made it to their floor and Dean released Castiel. "You ready?" Castiel nodded.

Dean unlocked the door and walked in with Castiel. The angel held his hand and followed close, like he used to do in public.

Dean hesitated at the door to their room but he opened it. Castiel's grip tightened but he followed. Rick's light was off and he was in his bed.

Castiel locked the door and let go of Dean. He was taking slow breaths to calm himself. There wouldn't be any more conflicts tonight.

"My first class isn't until 11 tomorrow so I'll be here if you need anything." Dean looked at his pajama pants and they were covered in grass stains and mud. He sighed and slipped them off. He would just sleep in a shirt and boxers.

Castiel turned to the closet and opened it to find his pajama pants. Dean patted his arm and then walked over to their beds.

Dean noticed the page with the sign language alphabet on it under his desk and bent down to pick it up. He held it out for Castiel when he came over after changing.

"Don't lose this. We need to keep practicing." He smiled at the angel.

Castiel took it and nodded. He pulled his sheets down as Dean put everything back in his desk before climbing the ladder to his top bunk.

"Goodnight, Cas."

He looked up to smile at Dean as he leaned over the edge of the bed. He turned the light off and slipped under his covers. Being able to hear Dean move and breathe above him helped him feel a little more calm as he tried to fall asleep. Hopefully he wouldn't have any bad dreams tonight.

* * *

Dean and Castiel were sitting on his bed and going over the sign language alphabet together. Rick had left early without a word. Castiel seemed to already have the alphabet down. Dean was struggling. He didn't feel too bad since they'd only had one lesson.

"And what's G again?" Dean made the signs through F and got stuck.

Castiel smiled and showed him the sign.

"Right, duh." Dean laughed and made the sign.

Castiel held up his board. _Ready?_

"Yeah, go." Castiel was signing random letters and Dean was guessing what it was.

They did this for about twenty minutes. Dean had gotten most of them right and he and Castiel were laughing as they spelled curse words at each other. His first class of the day was starting soon, but Dean didn't want to go. He was having fun with Castiel.

Castiel looked at his phone to check the time. Dean needed to be going soon. He held his phone in his left hand while he signed with his right.

 _'_ _Class soon?'_

As Dean processed the letters Castiel was signing, he squinted his eyes. "Oh, yeah. I should be going soon." He sighed and let his legs fall over the side of Castiel's bed. "Text me if anything happens. I'll keep my phone in sight. I'll come right over if you have trouble."

Castiel nodded. Since they didn't know Rick's schedule, neither one of them knew when he'd be in the room. He still felt a little nervous about what happened the night before, but he hoped he'd be able to handle it next time.

Dean stood and gathered his things for class. "I just have the one this morning so I'll be back in about an hour."

Castiel waved and watched him leave, locking the door behind him. He picked up his alphabet sheet again and studied it. He planned to practice more while he was alone.

Dean checked his phone frequently during class, but he never got a text. He returned to his room and found Castiel still alone. They went to get lunch together and then Dean worked on some of his assignments from his Monday classes. It was a quiet day for them.


	14. Chapter 14

(Three weeks later)

It had been three weeks since they'd moved into the dorm. There had been a few more days where Rick had harassed Castiel while Dean was gone, but he didn't run away again. Sometimes it seemed to make Rick stop when he didn't react, but other times it made him angry.

Their lessons with Charlie were going well and they were able to sign some short sentences to each other. Castiel had taken to it so easily that Charlie was teaching him more than Dean and would occasionally hang out with Castiel when he was alone so they could practice.

Dean had also started dating the blonde from his math class, Jo. They had only gone out twice so far, but Dean really liked her.

It was the weekend and they were taking their first trip home to visit the family. Mary greeted them at the door with tight hugs.

"I've missed you two." She kissed Dean's cheek before pulling away. "I can't wait to hear about everything you've been doing."

"Well, we've got a lot to tell you."

The whole family sat together in the living room while Dean told them about everything that had happened: Rick, Charlie, Jo, and Balthazar.

"If you need any help with Rick, you call me." John had been angry when Dean told them how he was acting and what he'd been doing to Castiel. "I'd be more than happy to put a little fear of god into him."

Dean laughed. "I'm sure. I'm hoping it won't come to that."

Mary spoke, hoping to change the subject. "So, you two have been learning sign language? That sounds fun."

"It is." Castiel nodded in agreement. "Charlie is really awesome too. I'm glad she was standing in front of me the first day." Dean couldn't imagine how bored he'd be without Charlie.

"I'm glad she's a good friend."

Sam piped up from the arm of the couch he was straddling. "They really let an angel teach at the university? I don't think I've ever heard of that happening."

Dean nodded. "I was a little worried about him at first, but he's been really cool. He's very blunt and honest about angels and what they go through. I'm glad I took that class."

They ate dinner and talked more about the college before Dean and Castiel went back up to the bedroom for the night. It looked like no one had touched it since they left. Dean took out his guitar from the closet and played quietly for a while before they went to sleep. Castiel sat on his bed and listened.

The weekend was spent going to a couple restaurants, sleeping in, and shopping for a TV for their dorm room.

* * *

Sunday afternoon, they were loading up the Impala with the new TV, Dean's guitar, and some leftovers courtesy of Mary. Dean drove them back with a feeling of contentment. He needed to visit home more often.

After getting back to their room and dropping off their items, Dean got a text from Jo and left to meet up with her. Castiel stayed behind and set up their TV. He was hooking up a couple wires when Rick entered the room.

Castiel had looked up, expecting Dean, and frowned when he saw Rick. He had hoped to avoid him until tomorrow. He focused on the TV again and ignored Rick.

The quiet only lasted a couple minutes. "Where's Dean?"

He didn't even look up from the remote as he tested to make sure it worked. He just had to ignore him.

"Is he in the bathroom or gone for the night?" Rick stood by his desk and crossed his arms. This is what he'd do most of the time, just ask him endless questions.

Castiel put the remote in Dean's desk drawer and moved to stand by his bed. Rick walked a little closer.

"You guys go on a trip this weekend? Where'd you go?" Rick just stood behind Castiel and waited for an answer he knew wouldn't come.

Castiel took a slow breath and pulled out his phone. If Rick said one more thing, he was going to text someone, either Charlie or Dean.

Rick had paused a while when he saw the phone come out, but just laughed when Castiel didn't do anything with it. "What's wrong? Aren't you going to call Dean to come running back to save you? I'm sure you didn't get enough from him this weekend."

Anger flared in his chest and he typed a quick text to Charlie and put his phone back in his pocket. He still faced away from Rick and moved to sit at Dean's desk.

"Are you not even going to look at me?"

Castiel sat at the desk and put on the headphones connected to Dean's laptop. He was in the process of opening the music player when a strong hand pushed him on the shoulder.

"Look at me when I'm talking to you, angel."

Rick had almost made him fall off the chair. Castiel pulled the headphones off forcefully and stood quickly, making the chair fall behind him. He rounded on Rick with an angry look on his face, wings flaring up behind him slightly.

Rick took a small step back but kept his face in a contemptuous expression. "You gonna finally fight back?"

His heart pounded loudly in his chest and everything in him made him want to fight, but he took a slow breath and relaxed his wings. This was the first time Rick had physically come after him or touched him.

"I figured you were too much of a chicken shit to do anything." Rick took a step forward like he meant to push him again when there was a knock on the door.

Castiel smiled slightly when Rick looked confused. He walked to the door slowly and opened it, knowing who was on the other side.

"Hey, Cas!" Charlie smiled and hugged the angel. When she pulled back, she brought her hands up to sign. _'Is he still bothering you?'_

 _'_ _He shoved me, yes. He's never done that.'_ Castiel was slow and clumsy with his signing, but Charlie got the gist.

 _'_ _Don't worry. I got you.'_ She smiled again and walked towards the beds like she owned the place. Rick was at his desk. "Hey, you must be Rick. Name's Charlie." She held out a hand to shake.

Rick seemed confused by the greeting but took her hand. She gripped his hand tight enough to make him wince and pulled him closer.

"I just want to let you know that I know about all the shit you've been dishing to Dean and Castiel, and I don't like it. You better watch yourself. I could get you kicked out of this place so fast you wouldn't know what hit you."

Rick rolled his eyes and tried to pull away. Charlie tugged his arm to keep him in place. "If you hurt Cas or Dean, so help me, I will destroy your life. Got me?" She put on a wide fake smile and tilted her head.

"Sure." He didn't seem convinced but was wary enough to back away and leave when Charlie let him go.

 _'_ _You didn't have to do that.'_ Castiel moved over to stand by her.

 _'_ _Don't worry about it. I'd love the chance to make that jerk wet himself with fear.'_

Castiel laughed and sat on his bed.

"You guys have a TV now?!" Charlie just noticed it now that Rick was gone. Castiel nodded. "Sweet! Now we can marathon movies together."

Charlie stayed until Dean returned. He was furious when Castiel explained what had happened and hugged Charlie for what she'd said.

"I mean it, Dean. If you want me to, I'll hack into everything involved in his life and take him down. Just say the word."

"I may take you up on that." He walked her to the door. She stopped in the doorway.

"I'll see you both for your lesson tomorrow."

Castiel nodded but Dean's eyes widened briefly. "Um, about that…"

"What?" Charlie put her hands on her hip.

"I won't be able to make this one."

"Why not?" Dean's eyes shifted away from hers. "Don't tell me. Would the conflict be Jo by any chance?"

"We're gonna meet up around that time, yeah." Dean smiled in an attempt to relax Charlie, who was looking at him with a raised brow.

"Can't you see her after your class together?"

"She's helping me with the assignment for our class that's due Monday."

Charlie sighed. "Okay, well don't think I'm gonna halt lessons for you. Cas and I will just have to learn more without you."

"I'll have him catch me up, I promise."

"Yeah yeah. You have fun with your girlfriend, lucky bastard." She smiled at him and dropped her arms. "See you tomorrow, Cas."

Dean shut the door and locked it behind her. He turned to Castiel. "You alright?"

Castiel nodded. _'Fine.'_ He tried to keep his sentences short when signing with Dean since he had to spell everything for him.

"I can't believe he pushed you. I never thought he'd do anything physical." Dean was worried again about leaving Castiel alone.

 _'_ _I'm okay.'_

"You said that it seemed like he wanted you to fight him, right?"

 _'_ _It seemed that way to me, yes.'_

"Maybe he does. Maybe he wants you to attack him, hurt him." Dean pulled his chair out to sit.

 _'_ _Why?'_

"Because then he could have us thrown out, or moved at least. He's trying to give Benny cause to have us evicted." It all made sense to him now. He couldn't figure out why Rick would keep bothering Castiel if he hated angels so much. "Maybe Benny still refuses to move him and he's getting desperate."

That didn't make Castiel feel good. He felt like he would really be in danger alone with Rick now. He would push him until Castiel fought back.

"Maybe if we told Benny about this he'd finally get him moved."

 _'_ _I don't know, Dean.'_ Castiel sat on his bed and sighed. He didn't want to talk about this anymore.

"I've got some homework to work on for tomorrow." Dean could tell Castiel was done and didn't want to push the angel.

 _'_ _Okay.'_ Castiel took out his phone and opened one of his game apps to entertain himself while Dean worked.

About an hour later, Rick came back. Dean tried to ignore him but failed. He closed his computer and stood to face the other boy. Castiel watched from his bed.

"Look, I know what you're trying to do and you need to stop."

Rick looked between the two of them. "Really?"

"Yeah. Picking a fight with Cas to try and get us kicked out of here isn't gonna work. Stop it before you make a huge mistake."

"You know, I got the same kind of speech from the red haired bitch. Empty threats don't scare me." Rick crossed his arms, trying to look casual.

Dean's lip sneered at the insult to Charlie, but his voice stayed calm. "You should be scared of Charlie. Her threats aren't empty. Neither are mine. If you want to know why you should be worried, look my family up. I think you'd find what you need to be properly worried about how you treat me and Castiel."

"I don't give a shit who you are." Rick clearly didn't believe anything Dean was saying.

"You should." Dean smiled and turned back to his desk. "That's all I'm gonna say about it."

"I'm terrified." Rick rolled his eyes before sitting at his desk.

It was a tense night as they all tried to ignore each other. Castiel hoped he'd be alright but he was nervous for tomorrow.

* * *

As Dean left in the morning, he handed Castiel a note that told him to let him know if anything happened and to text him or Charlie if he needed help. He also said he could always try Benny too.

Castiel just pretended to be sleeping when Rick did get up so he left without any issue. He spent his morning browsing the internet and practicing his signing. Since Dean was meeting Jo between his classes, he probably wouldn't see him until around dinner.

At 11, Charlie texted Castiel to let him know she was ready for him to come over for their lesson. He let her know he was coming and shut the computer.

 _'_ _Hey, come on in.'_ Charlie stepped aside to let him enter. _'Any trouble today?'_

 _'_ _No, not so far.'_

 _'_ _Good. Let's get started.'_

They spent about an hour going over different phrases and practicing together. Then they went to the food court for lunch.

 _'_ _So Cas, have you met Jo yet?'_

 _'_ _No.'_

Neither one of them had met her yet and they were both curious. Castiel figured that Dean would introduce them whenever he was ready. Charlie didn't want to wait.

 _'_ _You know, I could probably just hack into the school registry and look her up.'_

 _'_ _Charlie, no.'_

 _'_ _Why not?! I've done it with other people already.'_

Castiel shook his head and laughed. _'I don't think Dean would appreciate that.'_

 _'_ _Well, then he should bring her over.'_

They both then finished their lunches and headed back upstairs. Charlie didn't have her next class for a couple hours so Castiel stayed and learned as much as Charlie could show him.

Dean came back after his last class finished and he'd talked to Jo a little. It had felt weird for him to not come back to his room all day and he'd been worried about Castiel, but he'd never gotten a text from him.

His worry kicked up again when he found the room empty. Castiel's phone was on his bed, just like the night a few weeks ago.

"Cas?" Dean picked up the phone and looked around the small room. A yellow note on his laptop caught his attention. He walked over and pulled it off his computer. It had his name written in Castiel's writing.

The laptop was open slightly so he sat down and logged back in. A word document was open with some typing on it.

 _Hello Dean. I left this in case I wasn't out of the shower when you got back. I'm fine. Rick was gone all day. I spent most of the day with Charlie. She is very eager to meet Jo by the way. She's threatened hacking into the school files to look her up. I just wanted to let you know so you didn't worry when I was gone._

Dean sighed in relief and saved the document in a folder he had made back in high school right after showing Castiel how Word worked. There were dozens of files in that folder and occasionally Dean would look at them. They were little notes he and Castiel would leave for each other when the other was gone.

He would never forget the first one Castiel had left. It just had his and Dean's names typed over and over and the words 'I'm safe' repeated. Dean thinks the only reason it was left open was because Castiel didn't know how to close the document, but Dean saved it anyway.

After saving it, Dean closed the program and shut his computer. He figured Castiel would be done soon. He wanted to see what he'd learned from Charlie today.

They spent the night going over what Charlie had shown Castiel. Dean said he would have them meet Jo soon. Castiel told him to tell Charlie that so she didn't get herself in trouble. Rick showed up when they were getting ready for bed. He didn't say a thing to them. Dean took that as a win.


	15. Chapter 15

A/N: I'm moving states in a few days so the next chapter won't be up for a few weeks. Sorry, I am going to be extremely busy for a while.

* * *

(One month later)

It was October and Dean was finally introducing Jo to Charlie and Castiel. It was a Monday so they had their last class together and headed to Dean's room. Charlie and Castiel were waiting for them.

"I'm so excited!" Charlie punched Castiel's arm in her excitement, making the angel wince. "They've been dating for like a month and a half now and he's finally letting us meet her."

Castiel laughed and rubbed his arm. He was happy to finally meet her too. Dean had missed several of their lessons with Charlie to hang out with Jo and he was starting to feel a little left out.

They both heard the door at the same time and turned to face it. Dean walked in followed by Jo. She had long blonde hair and was just a little bit shorter than Charlie. She was smiling when she saw them.

"Jo, this is Charlie and Castiel."

"Hi." She waved at them both. "Glad to finally meet you. Dean talks about you guys all the time."

"Oh really?" Charlie looked at Dean approvingly. "Well, I've been trying to get Dean to bring you over for a while."

Jo laughed and put an arm around Dean's waist. "Yeah, I've been a little busy with projects, sorry."

Castiel stayed back a couple steps behind Charlie. Jo seemed nice but he was still usually wary with any new people. She noticed him watching her.

"Hi, Castiel. I've really been looking forward to meeting you." Jo dropped her arm and moved a little closer. "I can tell how important you are to Dean."

Castiel smiled shyly and looked at Dean. He felt his wings puff up in happiness. He looked back to Jo and nodded. _'Thank you.'_

"And I've never really had a chance to talk to an angel before. My family never had one."

"They're not really much different than us, Jo." Dean stepped up beside her and put his arm around her shoulders. "Cas is just one of the family."

They all went to a restaurant nearby for dinner. Jo talked about growing up with just her mom after her dad died when she was eight and how weird it was to be in a place with so many people. She'd grown up in a small town and couldn't believe the amount of students in her psychology class.

Over the course of the meal, Castiel began warming up to Jo more. She made Dean laugh and seemed to be a very good person. It made it harder to deal with the slight pain he'd get whenever they would hold hands or touch each other. He assumed he'd just gotten a little possessive of Dean's attention since moving in with his family.

They spent about an hour in the student services building after eating. Everyone talked about their classes and professors they had. Castiel felt a little out of place but listened intently while they swapped stories.

"I should be getting back. I've got an early class tomorrow." Jo stood while looking at her watch.

Dean followed. "I'll walk you back." Her dorm was across the quad from theirs and he didn't want her walking alone in the dark. "I'll see you back in the room." Dean waved to Castiel and Charlie.

"See ya." Charlie waved as they walked off together hand in hand. She sighed and hooked an arm around Castiel's arm. "Let's go."

Castiel smiled as they started back to the building. "Well she's nice."

 _'_ _She is.'_

"You're not too jealous are you?" Charlie looked at him knowingly.

 _'_ _What?'_ Castiel stopped and looked at her.

"Oh come on, Cas. I saw the way you looked whenever they'd act all lovey dovey."

 _'_ _I'm not jealous.'_ He pulled her along as he started walking again.

"If you say so."

They walked the rest of the way in silence. Castiel waited for her to enter her side of the floor before going to his own. The room was blessedly empty when he got there. He sat on his bed and leaned against the wall.

He hadn't been jealous, right? He liked Jo and she made Dean happy. Why would he be upset about that? Sure he'd been a little annoyed that Dean had missed so many lessons with Charlie to hang out with Jo but he couldn't expect him to prioritize him over his girlfriend.

Castiel decided not to think about it anymore and pulled out his phone to play a game. Dean made it back about twenty minutes later.

"So, what'd you think of her?" Dean sat at his desk after taking off his jacket.

 _'_ _I like her.'_

"Good. She wasn't sure." He laughed. "She was worried you didn't like her at all. I told her that you just take time to open up to people."

 _'_ _I didn't mean to give her that impression. She's very nice.'_

"Yeah, she is. I'm glad you like her." He stood and went to the closet. He gathered his clothes to take a shower. Castiel was asleep when he got back so he worked on homework until he was tired.

* * *

That Friday, they were in Charlie's room for their sign language lesson. Dean was frustrated that Castiel seemed so good at it while he was still having trouble.

"Well, you've missed half the lessons, Dean. What do you expect?" Charlie rolled her eyes. "Oh hey, I wanted to ask you guys, there's gonna be a Pride dance in the Student Center in a couple weeks. I'm going. Did you want to go with me?"

 _'_ _Pride dance?'_ Castiel hadn't heard of that before.

"Yeah, the student government is hosting it to promote equality. It's free, and trust me, it'll be a lot of fun."

 _'_ _Sure I'll go.'_ He looked at Dean.

Dean was a little wary. He had no problem with it, but he always felt like the others there wouldn't want him to be there. He wasn't gay after all.

"Dean?" Charlie raised her brows when he looked at her.

"I don't know. Not sure I'd feel welcome there."

"Why not? Are you against the queer community or our right for equality?"

"Of course not."

"Then you're welcome. Most everyone will be in costume and it'll be a lot of music and dancing. You can't miss this."

Dean looked at Castiel. The angel shrugged. "Okay, I'll go."

"Great! Ask Jo if she wants to go too."

"Sure."

When they got back to the room, Castiel asked Dean about what a Pride dance was.

"It's a dance that's targeted for people like Charlie." Dean wasn't sure how to explain it. He'd never been to one.

 _'_ _You mean someone that's gay?'_

"Yeah, that and all the other orientations under the rainbow. I think it's meant to celebrate their identities and how far they've come with equal rights."

 _'_ _Oh, I didn't realize there was an issue about that.'_

"Sure there is. We've watched enough movies and shows to see some of it be brought up."

 _'_ _I thought that was just made up for TV drama.'_ The idea of others being hated or abused just because they weren't straight didn't make any sense to the angel.

"No, it's very real. I guess that's not something angels deal with?"

 _'_ _I don't know. I've never heard of such a thing. I know from the few other angels I've talked to that none of them really care about gender. Love is love, and when you find your mate it doesn't matter.'_

Dean had missed some of the words Castiel had signed but he got the main idea. "Is that how you feel, Cas?"

He thought about it for a minute and shrugged. _'I've never really thought about it before, but yes. I don't really care what gender someone is. I've found many different people beautiful and couldn't imagine limiting myself to a single gender as far as a mate goes.'_

"Oh, well, you learn something new everyday." Dean was surprised. He'd never seen Castiel express interest in anyone, and given his abusive past that would be understandable. Maybe that was a question he could bring up in angel studies.

* * *

Jo wasn't able to come to the dance due to a group project she had to work on, but the boys met up with Charlie and they left together. Charlie was wearing a renaissance style costume with a crown. Dean and Castiel hadn't dressed up. Since it was so close to Halloween, no one gave her a second look as they crossed campus.

"You guys could've gotten into the spirit a little bit." She shook her head at their lack of costume.

Dean laughed. "We didn't really bring any costumes when we moved here."

"That's no excuse." She hooked her arm in Castiel's as they walked.

The angel was smiling as they continued to bicker about costumes as they walked. He had been looking forward to this night. He hadn't done a whole lot outside of the dorms or family house. It would be interesting to spend the night out with a group.

They entered the Student Center together and could hear the music as soon as they crossed the threshold. Charlie grabbed their hands and led them through the building to the dance.

Music was thumping and the lights were flashing through the open door. Charlie pulled them both into the room behind her. She was right about the costume thing as most of the people there were in elaborate costumes with a lot of makeup.

Charlie dragged them to a table were a couple other people were waving at her. The boys recognized one as her roommate.

"Charlie, you made it!" Her roommate, Gilda, stood and waved to them. "Nice to see you guys again."

"You too." Dean had to shout over the music to be heard. The two girls behind her greeted Charlie with hugs and then took her out to the dance floor.

"That was Bela and Cassie. We're all theatre majors." She glanced at them as they all danced together.

Dean looked at the three girls and had to smile. He hadn't met any of Charlie's friends before. "So, are you all…like Charlie?"

Gilda chuckled. "You don't have to be gay to be here, you know."

Dean laughed uncomfortably. "I know, I was just…curious."

Castiel tried not to smile as Dean grew embarrassed by his question. Gilda didn't seem to mind.

"I myself am bisexual, Cassie is straight, and Bela," Gilda paused and seemed to consider how to answer, "she doesn't really care about labels."

"Oh, fun." Dean looked at his feet as Gilda turned to look at him. "Well, nice to see you." Dean grabbed Castiel's arm and led him away before he said any more stupid things.

Castiel let himself be led away by a red faced Dean. He laughed once they were by the refreshments.

"Shut up, Cas." Dean shoved him gently. He felt stupid enough without the angel laughing at him.

A few songs later, Charlie found them and forced Dean onto the dance floor. He grumbled the whole way but accepted his fate. Castiel watched in amusement as Charlie danced him around by his wrists. He could see Dean holding back a smile the whole time.

Castiel thought about joining them, but he worried his wings would be in the way or that he'd hit someone with them by accident. Although, several people had costume wings on and were slapping a lot of people with them and no one seemed to care.

Eventually, he didn't have a choice. Charlie released Dean and dragged Castiel out. He went willingly and just kept his wings pulled into his back tightly as they danced. He felt a little awkward since he'd never danced before, but it was dark and no one was paying attention to him.

Dean was getting a drink as Charlie and Castiel danced. He watched them and had to laugh at Castiel's worried face and stiff movements. Charlie just laughed and tried to help guide him to the beat.

As he was standing by the table and drinking, a guy dressed as a cop in a very tight uniform walked over. He was looking Dean up and down.

"Nice costume." The man spoke as he picked up a drink.

"What?" Dean turned to face him.

"You're dressed as the guy that's going to dance with me." He raised a brow and took a drink from his cup.

Dean let out a short laugh. "Wow, does that usually work for you?"

He flashed a bright smile at him. "Usually."

"Well, I'm flattered, but I'm not interested." He put up a hand and turned back to watch his friends dance.

"Too bad." He moved closer to Dean so he could talk lower. "I have cuffs with this uniform and was hoping to get to use them."

Dean choked on his drink and had to cough as he talked. "I'm sure you'll find someone who'll take up that offer. Excuse me." He put his cup down and moved away as he tried to clear his throat.

"Looks like Dean is gettin' picked up." Charlie shook her head as Dean moved away clutching his chest.

Castiel followed Charlie's gaze and saw Dean and the other man watching him. Something hot burned in his chest for a brief moment, but he shrugged and looked away. _'I'm not surprised.'_

 _'_ _No kidding. Dean's too good looking to be left alone at a thing like this.'_

Castiel laughed and shrugged again.

 _'_ _What? You haven't noticed how attractive Dean is?'_

 _'_ _I don't think about it.'_ Truth be told, Castiel did think about it, a lot. He tried not to since Dean would never think anything of him besides being his angel and friend.

Charlie studied his face a minute before signing back. _'Liar.'_

 _'_ _I'm not.'_

 _'_ _Yes you are. Come on, Cas. I'm gay and I know how attractive he is.'_

 _'_ _He's my friend.'_

 _'_ _So? Gilda is my friend too, but that doesn't mean I don't think about dating her or making out with her.'_

 _'_ _Dean wouldn't…'_ Castiel dropped his hands and shook his head.

 _'_ _What?'_ The angel shook his head again. _'You don't think he'd think about you like that?'_

 _'_ _I don't think Dean would even be comfortable with the idea.'_

 _'_ _You don't know that. He's here after all, isn't he?'_

Castiel sighed and just kept dancing. He didn't want to talk about it. Whenever he thought about it much, he would get upset.

After turning down the third guy to approach him, Dean was considering joining his friends as they danced but could see they were having an intense conversation. He tried to catch some of it but they were going too fast for him to read. He thought he caught his name. Dean cursed himself for missing so many lessons.

He saw another guy making his way over so he moved toward his friends at a quick pace. The song changed to one with a loud and heavy bass. Everyone was jumping as he pushed through them to get to Castiel and Charlie.

"Hey guys." He put a hand on their arms and joined their dancing circle.

"Get tired of being eye candy over there?" Charlie laughed and jumped. She had to stop as her crown slipped.

"Yeah, I've never felt so objectified." He smiled and let himself forget about it for now and danced.

"Dammit!" Charlie pulled her crown off roughly. "I need to go fix this. I'm sick of it falling off." She left to find the bathroom to fix the crown.

Dean moved to stand in front of Castiel and kept dancing. Castiel seemed to withdraw some when Charlie left. He made eye contact with the angel before signing to him.

 _'_ _You okay?'_

 _'_ _Yeah, I'm fine.'_ Castiel smiled and waved off any more questions.

Dean didn't buy it, but just kept dancing. He grabbed Castiel's wrist and pulled him a little closer. His wings were dangerously close to someone else.

Castiel kept dancing as he moved closer to Dean. He was getting tired but he didn't want to stop. He liked being here and the way the lights hit Dean's face as they flashed. When he stared a little too long, Dean seemed to notice and looked at him. Castiel dropped his head and pretended to look at his shoes briefly.

The music shifted to a slower beat. Castiel grew nervous quickly. _'I think I'm gonna take a break. My legs are getting sore.'_

"You sure?" Castiel nodded to him. "Okay." Dean was going to follow him, but Charlie got back and wouldn't let him leave.

Castiel stood off to the side for a while and watched the group of students dance together. He had only been there for a song or two when another angel walked over to stand next to him.

'Your owner drag you here too?'

Castiel looked over at the other angel. He was about his height and age. He had blue eyes and slightly long dark brown hair. 'I'm here with my owner and our friend.' He nodded to them dancing together.

'I see. I wasn't sure I'd enjoy being here, but it's not too bad.'

Castiel nodded in agreement. 'I've never been to something like this.'

'I have. My owner took me to her proms and homecomings in high school. It wasn't much fun to sit at a table for four hours while everyone else enjoyed themselves.'

'I'm sorry.'

He waved a hand. 'It's okay. I like my owner. Her family has been good to me. My name is Inias by the way.'

'I'm Castiel.'

'Hi, Castiel. You want to dance?' He moved to stand in front of him.

He was taken aback by the question. Part of him wanted to say yes, but he didn't know if he should. 'I'm not much of a dancer.'

'I saw you doing a pretty good job earlier.' He smiled and took a small step closer. 'If you don't want to that's fine. I just figured I would ask.'

Castiel considered it. Inias was attractive and it's not like he couldn't dance with anyone he wanted. He glanced at Dean and saw him and Charlie laughing as a few other people joined their dancing group.

'Sure.' Castiel smiled and he walked to the dance floor with Inias.

When they reached the crowd of students, the song slowed and the crowd started pairing off. He got a little nervous again, but Inias moved close and grabbed Castiel's right hand and waist.

Inias was a good dancer and was easily leading Castiel through the song. Castiel was having fun as he didn't have to think while moving along with Inias.

'You're not too bad for someone who doesn't dance much.'

'You're just a good leader.' Castiel smiled.

Charlie glanced up and saw two angels dancing across the floor. She did a double take when she realized one of them was Castiel.

"Oh, looks like Cas found himself a partner." Charlie laughed and pointed when Dean looked confused.

Dean followed Charlie's finger and saw Castiel dancing with another angel. His jaw dropped and he had to fight the urge to go over there. He turned his back for one minute.

"There a problem, Dean?" Charlie held his arms and turned him to face her. "He can dance with anyone he wants, right?"

"Well, yeah, of course." He shrugged and smiled. "It doesn't matter to me."

Charlie just nodded and kept him moving. She pretended not to notice how he kept looking at the angels.

'Is that your owner?' Inias had noticed the guy Castiel had indicated earlier watching them.

'Yes.' Castiel made eye contact with Dean briefly before turning to look at Inias.

'You aren't gonna be in trouble or anything are you?'

'No, he's just protective of me.'

'Really? Is that a good or bad thing?' Inias kept an eye on the other guy as they moved.

'It's good. I've been through a lot and he helps me feel better, safe.'

'That's good. I guess we're both lucky in owners.'

'Currently at least, yeah.'

When the music picked up again, Inias released his hold on Castiel's hand. They continued dancing.

Dean couldn't take it anymore and turned away from Charlie to make his way to Castiel. He barely heard her questions as he walked away. He wasn't sure why he felt a little bothered but before he knew it, he was next to the angels.

"Hey, who's your friend?" He hoped it sounded friendlier than he felt.

The angels moved apart slightly. _'Inias.'_

"Oh, you use sign language? That's cool." Inias held out a hand to Dean. "Inias."

"Yeah, hi I'm Dean." He shook the angel's hand.

"Hope you don't mind me borrowing your friend for a minute." He smiled.

"No, I was just curious." He put his hands in his pockets. He felt stupid now for bothering them. What had he been worried about? He should've known Castiel was fine.

"I should be getting back to my owner. She needs some supervision sometimes." He turned to Castiel. 'Nice to meet you. Thanks for the dance.'

Castiel smiled at him. His eyes widened when Inias leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek, very close to the corner of his mouth. He lingered for a few seconds before pulling back and leaving.

Dean had been just as shocked as Castiel and had to clear his throat before speaking. "Well, he seemed nice. Sorry if I broke something up."

Castiel shook his head. _'It's fine. It was nice to talk to another angel.'_

Dean nodded. They stood awkwardly for a moment. Luckily, Charlie arrived and broke the silence.

"Hey, come on." She grabbed both of them and dragged them back to the center of the floor.

Dean groaned. "God, Charlie, don't you ever get tired?"

"Nope." She smiled and got them all dancing.

It was almost an hour later before they were able to get Charlie to let them go. Dean pulled Castiel aside and they sat at one of the tables.

"Man, I feel so out of shape." He was taking deep breaths and could feel his legs protesting already.

Castiel was a little tired but was faring better than Dean. He let his wings relax behind him and watched the crowd. Most of them were dancing, the others were in small groups around the tables and laughing while they talked. As his gaze passed the door, he saw a familiar face and had to look twice.

Castiel grabbed Dean's arm to get his attention and pointed at the door. Dean stood up and saw Jo standing by the entrance looking through the crowd. He smiled and quickly made his way across the room.

He stood from the table and watched as Dean hugged Jo and kissed her. That slight twinge was back in his chest and he had to look away. He suddenly didn't want to stay.

Dean led Jo to the table. She waved to Castiel. "Hi, Cas."

Castiel waved back as he sat back down. He could see Charlie making her way over.

"Joanna!" She hugged the blonde with a laugh. "Dean said you weren't coming."

"My group project ended sooner than I thought it would. I thought I'd stop by a minute. I can't stay." She looked at Dean when she said that.

"Oh come on, a few dances won't hurt." Dean pulled her close and smiled.

Jo put a hand on his chest. "I'm so tired, Dean." She laughed. "I'll take a raincheck."

Dean frowned. "Well alright." He kissed her again and then let go and stepped back.

"Have you guys been having fun?" She looked between the three of them.

"Oh yeah!" Charlie exclaimed and put an arm around Jo. "We've been doing a lot of dancing and getting hit on." She looked pointedly at Dean and Castiel.

"Should I be jealous?" Jo looked at Dean with a smirk.

"No, I had to break all their hearts and turn them away." He smiled back at her and then glanced at Castiel. The angel seemed strangely detached from the conversation as he didn't look at any of them.

"I better go." She waved to them and took a step away.

"You have someone walking back with you?" Dean didn't want her walking alone at night.

"Yeah, a couple of my group are in the same dorm as me. They're waiting for me. See ya." She waved again and made her way out of the room.

"Too bad she couldn't stay." Charlie leaned on the chair in front of her.

"Yeah." Dean sat back in the chair he'd used before. "How late does this thing go 'till, Charlie?" He checked his watch and saw that it was already close to eleven.

"Midnight, at least." She smiled and bounced to the beat thudding through the room.

"And I'm sure you'll be here until it ends right?" Dean smiled, already knowing the answer.

"You bet your ass I am."

Dean nodded. "Of course you are." He looked at Castiel and could see that the angel was getting tired as well.

"Dean," Charlie leaned forward on the chair again, "you can leave any time you want to."

"We don't want to put you out."

"No, I mean I'll stay and you can go."

"You can't walk back by yourself that late at night."

"I won't be alone. My roommate is here, my other friends are here. We'll all be walking back together. You don't have to worry about me."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, don't stay just on my account." She waved a hand and then picked up some buttons that were on the table. "Just don't leave without taking a button!" She handed one to both of them before bouncing back to the group of dancing students.

Dean looked at the button in his hand. It was a rainbow colored circle with an equal sign in the middle. He smiled and clipped it on his shirt. Castiel followed suit.

They sat silently for a few minutes before Dean grew bored. He looked at Castiel. "You getting tired?"

Castiel shrugged. _'Some.'_

"Wanna just stay a few more songs? Then we can go." Castiel nodded in agreement. Dean smiled. "You want to try and find Inias before we go?"

 _'_ _Why?'_

Dean shrugged. "I don't know. You two seemed to hit it off. I wasn't sure if you wanted to try and get any information from him." Dean was confused by the slight anger he felt when he thought about it. Why would he care if Castiel was interested in another angel? He should be happy about that, right?

 _'_ _No, its fine. We had a nice conversation and dance.'_

Dean nodded and they fell into silence again.

It was about 11:45 when they decided to go after the current song ended. They found Charlie on the dance floor and danced with her as their farewell. She hugged them in turn before letting them go.

Dean sighed as they left the building. The cool October air cooled his warm skin. It had been hotter in there than he'd realized. He put an arm around Castiel's shoulders as they walked.

"That was fun." Castiel nodded in agreement. "Glad Charlie thought to invite us."

They were crossing the quad when a few older male students came into their sights. They were walking in the opposite direction. Castiel immediately pulled his wings closer and moved a little closer to Dean.

When they were close to passing them on the sidewalk, Dean's arm tightened around Castiel slightly. He could tell the others were giving them a strange look. As they passed, one of them snickered.

"Couple queers, figures."

Dean immediately stopped and turned to face the group as they continued on. "What?" He said it loud enough they could hear him. The group stopped and turned back to them. "What did you just say?"

Panic filled Castiel as the group moved closer again. He grabbed Dean's arm, not wanting him to do anything stupid.

"I think you heard me." The boy that had said it stepped forward.

"I did, and I think you should apologize." Dean tried to take a step closer, but Castiel tugged on his arm.

"Why? Not like I was lying." He reached forward and flicked the button on Dean's shirt. "It's not surprising. You owners only like getting angels for one thing anyway." He sneered as Dean's face grew red.

He had forgotten about the buttons. His face was hot in anger. "Some owners, maybe. Not me. Now, apologize to us for throwing that word at us. You shouldn't say that to anyone."

"Make me." The older boy stared at Dean briefly before laughing and leading the group away.

"Asshole." Dean whispered it and made a move to chase after them. He wanted a fight. Castiel held his arm tight and dragged him back the other way. "Cas…"

Castiel stepped into his vision. _'Don't.'_

"Cas," Dean shook his head but Castiel demonstrated his superior strength and forced Dean to move away from the others.

 _'_ _Just let them go.'_

Dean sighed heavily and went with Castiel reluctantly.

When they got back to their room, Rick was there and made a comment about the buttons as well. Dean yelled at him to 'fuck off' and left for the bathroom. Castiel glared at Rick until he got in bed. He was laughing the whole time.


	16. Chapter 16

The following weekend was the beginning of November and Dean was playing his guitar for Castiel since they the room to themselves that weekend. Castiel had forgotten how much he enjoyed listening to Dean play and sing. It had been over a month since he'd done it.

 _'_ _You know, Dean, you should play for Jo. I think she'd enjoy it.'_

Dean laughed. "Yeah right. She doesn't even know that I play the guitar. You're still the only one I've ever played for."

 _'_ _What? Why haven't you told her about this?'_

Dean shrugged. "It hasn't come up."

 _'_ _You should tell her. I think you should play a lot more often. You could probably make money from performing.'_

He laughed again. "I doubt it. Just thinking about doing that makes me nauseous."

 _'_ _What about just performing for me, Jo, and Charlie?'_

That thought was a little less nauseating but still made him anxious. "I think I'll just stick with you, Cas."

Castiel smiled and shook his head. If he told Charlie or Jo about it, they would probably make Dean demonstrate his ability.

* * *

Castiel felt a little guilty when there was a knock on their door that Saturday. He sank down in his bed as Dean opened the door. Charlie barged in while talking loudly.

"Why didn't you tell me you played the guitar?!" She put her hands on her hips and looked at Dean.

"What?"

"You play the guitar and sing?"

Dean furrowed his brows, then it clicked. "Thanks for spilling the beans, Cas." He rolled his eyes and shut the door.

Charlie looked between them. "So it's true?"

"Yes." Dean sighed, knowing it was useless to fight Charlie about it.

She squealed and clapped her hands. "That's awesome! Cas said you were amazing. Can I hear? What does Jo think about it?"

Dean laughed at the excited questions. "Jo doesn't know. I've never played for anyone but Cas."

"What?!" Charlie slapped his arm. "Why wouldn't you share that with your girlfriend? You should be serenading her!"

Dean looked at Castiel. The angel was biting his lip, trying not to laugh. "Well, probably because I have pretty severe anxiety about anyone hearing me."

"Really?" She almost sounded guilty. "Oh no."

"What?" Dean saw her expression change quickly.

"Well," she tried to act casual, "I may have told Jo about it already."

Dean figured as much. Charlie wasn't good at keeping secrets. "Thanks," he deadpanned.

"And, I may have arranged for you to sing at an open mic for one of the local bars." Her face was pinched in anticipation of anger.

"You did what?" Dean's heart pounded loudly in his chest. "Why would you do that?"

Castiel stood from his bed. _'I had nothing to do with that.'_

"I didn't realize it was such a big secret or trouble spot for you." She bit her lip in worry.

 _'_ _I told you about that, Charlie.'_

"I thought you were exaggerating." She held her hands out. "I'm sorry, Dean."

"Well I'm not going." He shook his head and started pacing around the room. "No way in hell would I do something like that."

"It could be good for you. You could move past your fear." Charlie smiled, trying to be encouraging.

Dean looked at her with wide eyes. "Sure, just plow through my fear while I choke and puke everywhere. That sounds fantastic!" He covered his face and paced again.

"The spot is for Tuesday night. I saved you enough time for a few songs."

"A few songs?! One wasn't enough?" Dean was getting nauseous already.

"We can't cancel now. You're doing it. I'll make sure of it." Charlie crossed her arms, more determined now.

"I'm not agreeing to embarrass myself, Charlie."

"You won't. According to Cas, you're pretty awesome. Besides, a Tuesday night won't be busy. You'll probably only play for like ten people."

Castiel felt bad for putting Dean in this situation but he thought Charlie might be right. _'We'll help you, Dean. You can do this.'_

"I don't think I will." He had already made up his mind that he wouldn't go.

Charlie put her hands on her hips again. "You are going, Dean. I'll make sure of it."

"Yeah? How?"

* * *

Dean should've known Charlie would team up with Jo and practically drag Dean out that Tuesday night. He had practiced over the weekend, but he was hoping to get out of this. Now he was backstage mere minutes before his turn and he could feel the bile in his throat. He took a deep breath and grew light headed.

"Fuck." He leaned against a support beam beside him and gripped his guitar tight.

Castiel was with Dean and turned him to look at him. _'You can do this. Just breathe.'_

Dean chuckled. "I can't." He licked his lips since they suddenly felt dry.

 _'_ _You can.'_ He squeezed Dean's shoulders and gave him an encouraging nod before pulling his arms back. _'You're great and sound awesome. Just focus on me. We're in the front row. Just sing to me. You can do that.'_

Dean looked into the angel's eyes and felt himself relax slightly. "Okay. I can do that."

Castiel nodded. _'There's no one else here. Focus on me.'_

"Yeah, okay." Dean clapped his shoulder and took a deep breath. He smiled at Castiel and put the guitar strap over his shoulder.

Castiel gave Dean one more nod and left so he could get to his seat in time.

Jo and Charlie were sitting at their table that was front and center to the small stage. It was a little busier than Charlie had anticipated but she was excited to see Dean perform. She leaned over to talk to Jo.

"You ready for this?"

"Yeah, I still can't believe I didn't know about this. I never even guessed that Dean would play any instruments, and whenever he sings in the car, he sounds awful." She laughed at the memories of Dean belting out classic rock.

"I was surprised too. I hope he didn't give you too much trouble about coming out." Dean had insisted on not going up until they got him to the bar.

Jo shrugged. "He did at first, but I know how to get him to cooperate." She smiled.

Charlie leaned a little closer. "What did you do?"

Jo smirked. "I have my ways." She winked and took a drink.

Charlie laughed. "Oh, well. Good for you." She leaned back into her seat. Dean was up to start any minute. The guy before him was done and making his way off stage.

"Where's Castiel?" Jo hadn't seen him since they arrived.

"Backstage with Dean. Since he's the only one Dean has played for, he can probably get him to calm down a little."

"Right." Jo frowned and looked at her soda. She felt like she should've been the one backstage, but he had known Castiel longer. She could see the bond between them.

Castiel made it back to the table just as Dean was taking a seat in front of the microphone. There was some clapping as he came out.

Dean adjusted the microphone and cleared his throat before introducing himself. He was still shaky and glanced at the front block of tables. His friends smiled at him. He made eye contact with Castiel for a second and was able to take a breath.

As he began strumming the guitar, he kept his eyes down and just listened to the music and imagined what Castiel said. Soon he just saw them sitting alone in his room and he felt much better.

Castiel recognized the song as one Dean sang frequently. It was an old country song and a comfortable one for Dean. As he started singing, he saw Jo's mouth open slightly and felt the room get a little quieter.

By the second verse, Dean had gotten over the initial nerves and was focused on the words and the music. He'd forgotten anyone else was there. When he did look up, he only saw Castiel's supportive smile.

As the song ended, the room erupted into applause. Jo and Charlie hooped and hollered. Castiel clapped and caught Dean's eye as he thanked them. _'That was perfect.'_

Dean smiled. _'Thanks.'_

Jo saw Dean signing to Castiel and was a little jealous of the angel. He hadn't really looked at Jo yet and he'd paid a lot of attention to Castiel.

Dean started the next song with a lot more confidence. It was a more current rock song that Castiel had heard on the radio, but not from Dean. He thought Dean sounded much better.

He ended with "Hey Jude" since it was his favorite. At the end, he got a standing ovation. He thanked them and couldn't keep his smile down as he left the stage. Once he was backstage, he leaned against the beam again and laughed a few times. He felt so high off of the reactions from the audience, not realizing it could feel that good to sing for other people.

When Dean got back to the table, guitar case in hand, Jo jumped up and kissed him. Dean laughed in surprise.

"You were insanely good, Dean." She had her hands on his shoulders and was smiling radiantly. "I didn't imagine it sounding that good."

"Thanks." He dropped his head shyly. Jo pressed up and kissed him again.

"Yeah, Dean," Charlie spoke once they were sitting at the table, "great job."

"I guess I can't be mad at you for making me do this, huh?" He smiled at her, still riding the high of it.

"You can't."

Dean looked at Castiel and was met with a warm smile and shrug. _'I always knew you were good enough to do this. You just didn't believe me.'_

Charlie laughed. Dean brought his hands up to sign back, _'Yeah, yeah, rub it in. You were right. It was such a rush to do that.'_

 _'_ _Good. Maybe you'll do it more often?'_

 _'_ _Whoa, let's not get hasty.'_

Charlie laughed again as she watched the conversation. Jo felt left out and leaned forward. "What did he say?"

Charlie turned to her. "Just that Cas was always right about Dean needing to perform. He's trying to make him do it more now."

She turned to Dean. "You should, Dean. You could even make some tips off of it eventually."

"We'll see."

The four of them walked back to Dean's Impala after they ate. Dean was loading up the guitar in the trunk while the girls got in the car. Castiel moved behind the trunk and put a hand on Dean's shoulder.

 _'_ _I'm glad you were able to do this tonight.'_

"Me too, Cas. Thanks for the pep talk beforehand. I'm not sure I could've done it without you there."

 _'_ _I'm sure you could've.'_

Dean put a hand on Castiel's shoulder and pulled him in for a brief hug. "Let's go." Dean closed the trunk and walked around the car with Castiel behind him.

After that performance, Dean would play and sing a lot more often while in the dorm room. It helped open him up a little more and Castiel was glad that Dean had something that made him so happy.

* * *

A couple weeks after the bar performance, Jo and Charlie were hanging out with them in their room. It was the weekend and Rick was gone so they decided to watch some movies together and eat some pizza.

Jo and Charlie were sitting on Castiel's bed and arranging the pizza boxes. Dean and Castiel were at Dean's desk. Dean was leaning close over Castiel's shoulders and talking to him close to his ear in a low voice. Castiel's wings were dropped low to make room for Dean which was something angels wouldn't do for most people since it left them vulnerable.

Charlie was pouring herself some soda when she noticed Jo watching something. She turned and saw Dean whispering to Castiel. Castiel listened intently before laughing and covering his mouth with his hand. Dean chuckled and continued talking.

"They're like that a lot aren't they?" Jo was holding an empty cup, having forgotten about getting her drink.

Charlie frowned. "I guess, yeah. They've been through a lot together." She turned back to Jo and saw the sad look on her face. "Hey, what's with that face?"

Jo blinked and smiled. "Nothing. Just spacing out." She took the soda bottle from Charlie and filled up her cup. Her eyes landed on the pair again as she took a drink.

"You three, I swear." Charlie rolled her eyes.

"What?" Jo was genuinely confused.

"I just can't handle it." She shook her head. With all the jealousy between them, she didn't know how they could stand it. She looked at Dean and Castiel. "Hey, secrets don't make friends."

Dean looked up and held up a hand. "Just give us a second."

"Do you want us to start the movie without you?" Dean just held up a hand again as he told Castiel something. "I will lick every slice of pizza, I swear to God."

"Alright, alright." Dean said one more thing that made the angel laugh before they both joined the girls on Castiel's bed. Dean sat next to Jo. Castiel sat next to Dean, with Charlie next to him.

They watched the movie and ate. Dean had an arm around Jo but would occasionally lean over and say something to Castiel.

When the movie ended, Charlie went back across the hall, and Dean walked Jo back to her dorm. Castiel cleaned up the trash.

When they reached the doors to Jo's building, she turned to Dean and put a hand on his chest. "Dean, after class on Monday, could you hang back and wait for me? I have something I want to talk to you about."

Dean nodded. "Sure, I guess. You can't tell me now?" He smiled.

"I don't want to. I'm not sure how it'll come out if I don't take some time to think about it first." She seemed oddly somber to Dean.

"What's wrong?" He touched her arms gently.

She pulled away from his touch. "Nothing. I'll see you Monday."

"Jo," he touched her arm again, "tell me now."

"Dean…"

"Please." He knew it would bother him all weekend if she didn't tell him.

She took a deep breath and then turned to face him. "Okay. I don't think we should go out together anymore."

Dean hadn't expected that. He felt like he'd been hit in the chest. "What? Why?"

She shook her head slowly and tears filled her eyes. "I just…I can't be with somebody that's in love with someone else."

"What are you talking about? You think I'm cheating on you? I would never do that."

"I know." She huffed out a laugh as a tear fell down her cheek. "You don't even realize it do you?"

"Realize what?" He was so confused. Who was she talking about?

"I really like you, Dean. I just can't do this anymore. I hope you figure it out soon. You may not have a chance if you wait too long."

"I don't know who you're talking about, Jo."

She smiled sadly and put a hand on Dean's arm. "I'm sorry. I hope we can be friends some day, Dean. I really do care about you."

She turned and entered her building. Dean stood there for a minute trying to process what just happened. None of it made any sense. Who was Dean supposed to be in love with?

That question echoed in his head the whole walk back to his room. He still felt in shock when he entered the room and saw Castiel looking at his phone.

Castiel could tell immediately that something was wrong. He stood from his bed and went to Dean. His face and eyes looked blank. He put a hand on his arm to get his attention.

 _'_ _Dean, what's wrong?'_

Dean looked Castiel in the eye as tears finally formed in his eyes. His voice was a hoarse whisper. "Jo just broke up with me."

Castiel's eyes widened in shock. He pulled Dean in for a hug. Dean hesitated briefly, but soon hugged the angel tight and rested his head on his shoulder. Castiel took a breath and let Dean hold him as long as he needed.

Dean closed his eyes and felt tears fall and soak into Castiel's shirt. He had been blindsided by this and felt like he'd been kicked in the gut.

Castiel put a hand on the back of Dean's head and gently rocked him. He couldn't say any encouraging words like this but wanted to show him support any way he could.

Eventually Dean pulled away and wiped his eyes. He saw Castiel's hands moving.

 _'_ _I'm so sorry. What happened?'_

"She said she couldn't be with someone that was in love with someone else." Dean shrugged.

 _'_ _Someone else?'_ Castiel didn't know who she'd be referring to.

"Yeah, it doesn't make any sense to me. If she just wanted to break up with me, she could've. She didn't have to make up another person." Dean walked to his desk and sat down with a thud. "I don't get it."

 _'_ _Was she angry?'_

"No, she seemed sad."

 _'_ _She didn't give you any hint about who she was talking about?'_ Castiel moved a little closer to Dean's desk.

"No, she said that she hoped I figured it out soon." Dean sniffed as more tears formed in his eyes. He rubbed his eyes and stood up. "I'm gonna go to bed."

Castiel nodded. Dean went to his closet and pulled out his pajamas. Castiel was already dressed for bed. He moved to stand by the head of his bed as Dean came back.

 _'_ _You'll be okay. I'm here if you need anything.'_

Dean smiled. "I know. I'll always have you, right?" Castiel nodded and Dean put a hand on his shoulder. "Goodnight, Cas."

 _'_ _Goodnight.'_ Castiel waited until he was up the ladder before turning off the light and getting into bed.

* * *

The next morning, Dean was quiet and just worked on his homework for a few hours. Castiel went down to the food court and brought up lunch for both of them. Dean thanked him, but didn't do more than open the container and take one bite.

Castiel texted Charlie when Dean wouldn't eat. He told her everything that had happened and also that Dean probably didn't want her to know about it yet.

 _Don't worry I won't tell Dean that you told me. Don't tell him that I'll be on my way over in an hour or so._

 _Okay Charlie. Thanks_

Castiel put away his phone and sat on his bed. Dean was staring at one of his textbooks with a blank face. Castiel tapped the desk lightly to get Dean's attention.

 _'_ _You might want to take a break from that. You've been staring at that book for half an hour.'_

"I have homework to finish." He turned a page and continued looking at it.

Castiel took out his marker board and wrote on it. _You have tomorrow to work on homework. Take a break._ He put it on the desk beside Dean.

Dean read the writing and sighed. "Sure, but what else am I gonna do?"

 _Anything?_

Dean laughed and looked at Castiel. "Did you have something in mind, Cas?"

Castiel shrugged. _'Not really. I just don't want you to just sit there all day.'_

Dean shut his book and turned to face Castiel. "You wanna play a card game?"

They spent the next hour playing a few different card games on Castiel's bed. The only thing that stopped them was a knock on the door. Dean got up to answer it. He was surprised to see Charlie with a couple large bags on her arms.

"Hey, Dean." She smiled at him as she pushed by him. "Hi, Cas."

"What are you doing here?" Dean shut the door and turned to face her.

"I'm here to right some wrongs." She put the bags down and pulled out three DVD cases. "I remember you telling me that Castiel still hadn't seen any of The Lord of the Rings movies. I couldn't let him suffer anymore. We're watching all three today." She smiled proudly and put the movies on Dean's desk.

"Charlie…" Dean wasn't in the mood for another movie night after the night before.

"This is happening, Dean." She started pulling the other items out of the bag. She had two 2 liter bottles of soda, one Coke and one Pepsi. "I brought drinks, and food." She pulled out a couple to go bags from a Chinese restaurant.

"Why are you doing this?" Dean had a suspicion that Charlie knew about what happened.

"Frankly, because I'm bored and I wanted to hang out with you guys again." She smiled at Dean and tousled his hair. "I almost brought The Hobbit trilogy too, but I figured I wouldn't completely overwhelm Cas."

Dean stood silently as his two friends set up the food and drinks and Charlie put the first movie into the DVD player. He knew Charlie was lying and that Castiel had probably told her what had happened, but he couldn't be mad about having friends that cared about him so much.

"Dean, you'll want to lock the door before we start these." Charlie talked as she skipped to the DVD menu.

"Why?"

"Because that's not normal soda in those bottles." She gave him a big smile.

Dean locked the door and then picked up the Pepsi bottle. It had already been opened, even though it looked full. "What did you do to these?"

She shrugged. "Taste it."

"No, tell me what's in it." Dean was a little scared. He never knew what to expect from Charlie.

"It's not drugs or anything, just try it." She waved a hand in his direction.

Dean opened it and took a sip. The burn of alcohol took him by surprise. He coughed and closed the bottle back up. "Charlie!"

"What? It's just vodka." She shrugged.

"We're not allowed to have alcohol on this campus, especially not when we're under age." Dean was whispering despite being in his own room.

She turned to him and took the bottle. "Oh, calm down. No one is gonna catch us. It just looks like any regular soda."

Castiel was a little worried about breaking the rules too. He didn't want Dean to get in trouble. Being found with alcohol would get them expelled.

"We'll be fine, guys, loosen up." She handed them each a container of food and sat on Castiel's bed. "Sit down so we can start the movie."

Castiel and Dean each took a seat on either side of Charlie. Castiel had picked up the Coke bottle and set it on the floor next to the bed.

"So, are they both vodka?" Dean was curious since he didn't really like the flavor from that first drink he'd had.

Charlie shook her head as she took a bite of food. "No, the Coke has rum. I wasn't sure what you'd like."

Dean held out a hand and Castiel handed him the other bottle. He took a drink and nearly choked again. "Holy shit, Charlie, these are strong." He coughed a few times, but found he liked that flavor more.

"Yeah well, I had to empty out the alcohol bottles didn't I? Couldn't have those found in my room."

Dean shook his head. "I'll drink this. I don't like the other one much."

"Good, I prefer vodka." She smiled and picked up the Pepsi bottle. She held it out to Castiel. "Go on."

 _'_ _I've never had alcohol before.'_

"It's a good time to try it."

Castiel took the bottle and took a short drink. It definitely burned, but he didn't hate it. Charlie took it back from him with a smile.

Dean held out the Coke bottle. "Here, try this too."

Castiel reached across Charlie as she took a swig and took the bottle from Dean. The rum didn't appeal to him as much, but he would drink either one. He handed it back to Dean and focused on eating his food.

"Okay, now everyone be quiet so Cas can hear everything." Charlie hit play on the remote.

Dean snorted. "Yeah, more like so you can hear everything. Nerd."

"Shh." Charlie smacked him as the screen went black and the voice over started. When the inro was over, Charlie spoke again. "Like you don't have all these movies memorized too." She elbowed Dean.

Dean rolled his eyes and took a drink. He looked at Castiel and could see that the angel was already drawn in to the movie. He was watching the screen intently and had put his food aside.

The bottles were passed around and the food quickly disappeared as they watched the movie. They had gotten to the point where Arwen was about to make her entrance when Dean told Charlie to pause it.

"Ugh, now?" Arwen was her favorite and she was annoyed at having to pause her arrival.

"You're the one who brought all the drinks." Dean pushed himself up to stand, swaying slightly from the effects of the alcohol. "I'll be right back." He made his way slowly to the bathroom.

Charlie sighed and took a drink. She looked at Castiel. "You liking it so far?" She offered him the Pepsi bottle.

Castiel nodded and took the offering. He was feeling a little more relaxed than usual but he seemed more resistant to the alcohol than the other two. He handed it back to Charlie.

Dean came back and took a moment to lock the door again. He was on the way back to the bed when Charlie spoke.

"You know, I heard that when Tolkien wrote the books, the elves were supposed to be angels. That's how they were originally written, wings and everything. But no one would publish the story that way, especially with the whole Aragorn and Arwen thing, so he had to change it."

Dean fell onto the bed, bouncing everyone. "No one knows if that's true."

"It makes sense though doesn't it? The way the elves are is similar to angels. Can you imagine this movie with all the elves being angels with wings?" She turned to Castiel. "I really wish they could've kept it that way."

"It doesn't matter now. Just start it up again, Charlie." Dean waved and picked up the Coke bottle.

She hit the play button to resume the movie. Castiel watched with a new imagining. All the elves he saw after that he pictured as angels. It did make the story a little more personal and interesting for him.

When the first movie ended, Castiel was eager to start the next one. Charlie stopped the DVD and excused herself to the bathroom. Dean adjusted himself so he was sitting more against the wall.

"Hey, Cas," Dean waited for Castiel to look at him, "thanks for telling Charlie about this."

From his slightly slurred speech, Castiel guessed that he had passed into the drunk phase. He nodded and took the bottle from Dean's hand, worried he would spill it.

"You were right. I needed to do something to distract myself. I was just gonna mope all day and think about Jo. This is better." He put a hand on Castiel's arm. "Thank you."

Castiel put a hand over his and smiled. He took a drink and then put the bottle on the floor by the bed. He was glad that Dean was feeling a little better, even if it was because he was drunk.

Charlie came back and put the second movie in the player. She sat on the bed while it loaded. "So, who is your favorite character so far?"

He had to think about it a moment. _'Probably Aragorn. Although I like Sam too.'_

She nodded. "Yeah, they're pretty good. You ready for the next one?"

 _'_ _Yes.'_

Charlie started up the second one and they settled into silence as they watched. When that one was over, they all took another bathroom break. They all finished the drinks before the third one ended. Dean was close to falling asleep by the time the third movie was over.

Charlie put the DVD back in the case. It was late into the night and Castiel was the only one that wasn't too drunk to walk straight. Castiel walked Charlie back to her room to keep her steady and avoid suspicion. As they crossed the stairs, Charlie leaned against Castiel and fumbled with her keys.

"I think we helped Dean today. The first day after a break up is always the worst."

Castiel waited until she got the door open to sign anything to her. _'I think we did too. He'll be okay.'_

"He's got you, right?"

 _'_ _Right. I'm not going anywhere.'_

They arrived at her door. "He's lucky to have such a good friend. You care about him a lot don't you?"

 _'_ _I do. I just want him to be happy.'_

Charlie leaned against her door and studied the angel. "How much do you care about Dean?"

Castiel furrowed his brows. _'More than anything. He saved my life.'_

She shook her head. "You love him, don't you?"

Honestly, Castiel wasn't absolutely sure. He didn't know what love really even felt like. All he knew was that he'd never cared more about anyone than he did for Dean. Charlie seemed to read his pause as a yes.

 _'_ _Charlie, please don't tell Dean that.'_

She laughed. "I won't. If it makes you feel better, I think he's in love with you too."

 _'_ _No he's not.'_

"He just may not realize it yet." She patted his shoulder in sympathy. "He will."

He waved to her and waited for her to enter her room before crossing back over to his side. He thought about Charlie's words the whole way. Was he the reason Jo broke up with Dean? Did she think there was more going on between them than there actually was?

He had to shake off those thoughts before he entered their room again. It was quiet when he entered. He locked the door behind him and changed for bed.

When he moved around the corner, he saw Dean lying asleep in his bed. He probably didn't get up once after he'd left with Charlie. Castiel smiled as he watched Dean sleep. He looked so peaceful sprawled out and breathing evenly. Castiel decided he could sleep in Dean's bed tonight.

As he was climbing the ladder, Dean stirred and mumbled something but when Castiel looked over the side of the bed, Dean was curled up and sleeping. He let his wings hang over the side of the bed and quickly fell asleep.

* * *

When Dean woke up, his head was pounding and his mouth was dry. He groaned and covered his eyes with an arm. He didn't want to get up yet, but he felt like he had to. With a yawn, he sat up and immediately knocked his forehead into the bed above him.

"Fuck!" He fell back flat and touched the sore spot on his head. He hadn't realized he was in the bottom bunk.

Castiel woke up when he felt the bump from under the bed. Dean's curse made him sit up.

Dean saw Castiel's wings pull up and heard him making his way off the top bed. He threw his legs over the side of Castiel's bed while he came down the ladder.

Castiel knelt in front of him and looked at the bump forming on his forehead. Dean was squinting from the light. _'Are you okay?'_

"I don't know." Dean shut his eyes and took stock of the room. He didn't even remember falling asleep last night. "Why didn't you kick me out of your bed?"

 _'_ _You looked peaceful. I didn't want to disturb you.'_

Dean laughed. "It is your bed, Cas. You can tell me to get off." He put a hand on Castiel's shoulder and pushed himself up to stand.

Castiel stood with him. _'Next time.'_

Dean laughed again as he left to use the bathroom.

That day, Dean was better and didn't spend all day in his books. He and Castiel went to the food court for lunch and dinner. He was even laughing a lot more. Castiel was glad that he seemed a little better.

* * *

Dean was almost glad for the distraction of classes on Monday. Math would be a little difficult with Jo in the class, but he could get through it. His angel studies class was always an interesting hour.

"Emotions and relationships for angels run much deeper and mean much more to them than humans can understand. They are fiercely devoted to their family and close friends. There is a connection that happens with angels that is hard to describe to someone who can't feel it." Balthazar was giving a lecture on their current lesson. He was walking around the room as he talked.

"Because of this, they are known to mate for life whenever they find their mate. They would do anything for their mate: fight to the death, feel their emotions to a degree, and even be able to communicate telepathically with them at a greater distance."

There was a small mumbling around the room at that. Balthazar smiled as he walked up and down the aisles. "You've learned earlier in the semester that angels communicate telepathically, but it has to be at a close distance, the same as when you make normal conversation. Some mates have a strong enough bond that they don't even have to be in the same room. In rare cases, they can be in different buildings. I myself have never met any angels that could do that, but it is theoretically possible."

Dean was taking notes in earnest. This class was giving him more interesting information than any other class he was enrolled in. He was planning to take as many angel study classes as possible while he was at the university.

"With the emotional depth, it is also a lot more likely that angels will suffer from emotional trauma and be more susceptible to developing mental illnesses due to that trauma." He had made his way back to his chair and leaned on the back of it as he finished. "We feel things very deeply. That can be good or bad, depending on what we're reacting to. We're also a lot more resilient than we get credit for as well."

He checked his watch. There was only about one minute left of class. "Alright, everyone please make sure you've read the chapter by the end of the week. There will be a test over it on Friday. You're free to go."

The class packed up and began leaving the classroom. Dean packed up most of his things but headed to the front of the classroom. He was wanting to talk to Balthazar.

"Professor?" Dean stopped close to the table Balthazar was standing behind.

"Yes?" He looked up at Dean.

"I had a question about what you talked about today."

He began picking up his papers and briefcase. "My office hours are posted on the syllabus. I'll be happy to discuss this more then."

"It was actually in regards to the angel I own."

Balthazar stopped and gave Dean his attention. "Okay, how can I help you?"

"Well, Castiel had a pretty horrible owner before I met him. He went through years of abuse and I was wondering what kind of affect that would have on him."

"What kind of abuse was it?"

Dean shook his head. "I don't know for sure. He's never really told me anything about it, but it was physical if nothing else. He has a lot of scars from it. He has nightmares a lot and it took him a long time to feel like he was allowed to exist like an equal in our house."

Balthazar's eyes turned sad and he shook his head. "Well, he's obviously suffering from some kind of disorder from it. I would say PTSD but I'm not a psychiatrist."

"What can I do to help him? He's had panic attacks before and has a hard time going out in public with too many people."

"Just let him know that he's safe with you. Don't make him feel like anything he's going through is stupid, and respect any boundaries he has."

Dean nodded. "Thanks."

"No problem."

Dean left the classroom and hoped that he could try to help Castiel a little more now that he knew more about angels.

Dean met Castiel at Charlie's room. They didn't really need to learn any more sign language from her but they used the same times when they used to have lessons to just hang out together.

Charlie was laughing when Dean entered. She and Castiel were sitting in a couple of the big bean bag chairs she had. They looked up when Dean came in.

"Hi, Dean," Charlie waved, "Cas was just telling me about what happened when you woke up yesterday." She laughed and leaned over in her chair.

Castiel was trying to hold back his laughter. Dean shook his head. "Well I'm glad it was so funny to you, Charlie. My forehead still hurts." He put down his books and sat on the floor next to them.

"So, how have you been feeling? Other than the forehead."

He knew she was talking about the Jo situation. He just shrugged. "I'm okay. It helps to have some distractions today. This afternoon will be a little hard though." Dean looked down at his hands while he chewed on his lip. Hopefully it wouldn't be too awkward with Jo in their class together.

"I'm sure it'll be fine. Today will probably be the worst day." She leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms. "Has that roommate given you any trouble recently?"

"No more than usual." Dean looked up to check with Castiel. He spent more time with Rick than Dean did.

 _'_ _He's been his usual self.'_ Castiel was still dealing with some aggressive behavior from Rick, but nothing any worse.

"That's good, I guess. I'm still serious about my offer to take care of him if you want me to."

Dean laughed. "Thanks, Charlie. I think we can handle him."


	17. Chapter 17

This chapter contains some attempted non-con situations and general shittyness from a character you can probably guess. Be warned.

* * *

With just a couple weeks left in the semester, November was almost over and Rick had been acting especially mean to both of the boys. The worst came one day when Dean was at a class. Castiel was alone and Rick bullied him like he always did, but this time he threatened to hurt Castiel and shoved him hard enough to send him falling over the desk chair.

Castiel looked up in shock after landing on the floor with a thud. Rick took a few steps towards him like he meant to continue. The angel panicked and scrambled to stand and move to the door.

"Fucking angel!" Rick caught up to Castiel and grabbed his arm at the same time Castiel grabbed the door. He tried to pull Castiel, but the angel was stronger and Rick only managed to lose his grip and send Castiel falling into the doorway.

His arm hit the doorway hard and he winced as he ran out the door and across the floor to Benny's room. He knew Rick wouldn't follow him that far.

Benny's door was shut so he assumed the room was empty so he just stood outside of it and caught his breath. His heart was pounding in his ears and his arm was warm with pain. Rick had never done anything like that and he was terrified about being alone with him again.

He jumped when the door opened. Andrea was standing in the doorway. 'Castiel? Are you okay?' She had heard someone run to the door and was curious.

He shook his head. 'No.'

Andrea stood back and let Castiel enter the room. Benny was gone but she could tell how scared he was. She pulled a chair over for him. 'Sit. Tell me what's wrong.'

Castiel sat down and rubbed his arm absently. 'It's Rick. He's getting worse.' Dean and Castiel had told Benny and Andrea about Rick several times. There was usually not much they could do since Rick was only saying mean things.

'What'd he do?'

Castiel told her everything. She listened and shook her head in sympathy. She let him wait in her room until Benny or Dean got back from class. He hadn't taken his phone so he had no way to let Dean know what happened. It was about twenty minutes later when Benny came back.

"Hi, Castiel." Benny left the door open behind him as he entered the room. Andrea stood up to talk to him.

Castiel waved with a tight smile. He was still a little shaken. Andrea put a hand on Benny's arm and leaned in to whisper something to him. His face grew serious.

"Did he hurt you?"

Castiel gave a small nod and rolled up his sleeve. He had a slight bruise on his arm where he hit the doorway. Benny looked at it.

"Is Rick still in your room?"

Castiel shrugged. He didn't follow him, so he wasn't sure if he left the room or not.

Andrea spoke while Benny put his bag down. "I told him he could stay here until Dean came back."

"Dean came up the stairs with me. He's probably in the room now." Benny gestured to Castiel. "Come with me. I'll talk to Rick if he's still there."

Castiel walked across the floor with Benny. He hoped Rick was gone so there wasn't a confrontation between all of them. The door to the room opened right as Benny and Castiel reached it. A frantic looking Dean was on the other side. He sighed when he saw them.

"Cas, I was looking for you. You left your phone here with no note. It was like that night you ran off again!" Dean was talking fast in a panic. He didn't realize how quickly he could go from calm to scared until he found the room empty.

"Dean, is Rick inside?" Benny asked.

Dean was confused by the question. "No, he's probably in a class. Why?" He looked at Castiel again and saw how tightly his wings were pulled in behind him and the worried look on his face.

"When he comes back, tell him I need to talk to him. Unless I find him first." Benny patted Castiel's shoulder.

"What happened?" Dean was worried now.

"Talk to Castiel about it." Benny waved and made his way back to his room.

Castiel entered the room and Dean shut the door behind him. He put a hand on the angel's shoulder. "Are you alright, Cas? What happened?"

Dean listened as Castiel told him about what Rick had done. He grew angrier by the word. When he was done, Dean shook his head. "That asshole! I'm gonna rip his fucking arms off!"

Castiel smiled. _'I wouldn't yet. Let's just wait to see what Benny does.'_

They had already talked to Benny a few times and he usually couldn't do anything. "I'm calling my dad."

 _'_ _No.'_ Castiel grabbed Dean's arm as he reached for his phone. _'Don't worry them about this.'_

"Cas, he has no right to do this." Dean didn't understand why he was being difficult about this. He thought he'd want Rick to be in trouble for it.

 _'_ _Just wait and see.'_ Castiel wanted Rick gone but he didn't want a lot of attention.

"Fine." Dean put his phone down and started on his homework.

Rick entered the room about one hour later. Dean immediately stood up and met him by the door. Rick squared up like he expected a fight.

"Have you talked to Benny?" Dean squeezed his fists tight to keep them at his sides. He wanted to hit him but didn't want to face trouble for him.

"No." Rick looked between the both of them, a little nervous.

"He needs to talk to you right now."

Rick rolled his eyes. "I can't imagine what about."

Dean's lip twitched in fury. "Get out of the fucking room, dick."

He dropped his books by the door and left. Dean closed the door when he was gone and sat by Castiel on his bed.

"Maybe now he'll finally be kicked out of our room."

Castiel hoped that was true.

Fifteen minutes later, Rick returned and looked too smug for their liking. He sat at his desk and spoke while starting his computer.

"Benny wants to talk to you two now."

Dean and Castiel shared a look before leaving the room. They weren't sure why they'd need to talk to Benny again or why Rick seemed so happy about it.

Dean knocked on Benny's door before entering the room. Benny told them to come in and shut the door, which they did.

"What's up, Benny?" Dean stayed in front of Castiel one step.

Benny sighed as he turned to them. "Rick said that Castiel came after him and he just defended himself."

Dean's face grew hot in anger. "What?!"

Benny put up a hand to stop Dean. "I know it's not true. I'm on your side, Dean. Unfortunately, he does what most people do, and he's liable to be believed by most people in power."

"Cas has a bruise on his arm from him. Isn't that proof enough?"

Benny shook his head. "He could just say that was done in defense or that Castiel did it to himself on accident."

"Benny, you said we could come to you if we were unhappy with our roommate and you would fix it."

"And I want to, but I can't." Benny sounded truly defeated. "You have to understand how my hands are tied in this. It's so close to the end of the semester now that moving him wouldn't be possible before the break."

Dean felt like his insides had deflated. He had really hoped more could be done. "Can you at least try to get him moved for next semester?"

Benny gave him a small smile. "Yeah, that should be doable."

"Any advice for us?"

He hesitated like he might not say anything but he did, "Well, if there was indisputable proof that Rick was abusing Castiel, proof he couldn't lie his way out of, then he would be gone."

"Indisputable proof?" Benny nodded. "Okay, thanks."

Dean and Castiel left Benny's room and Dean pulled Castiel aside before they reached their room. Castiel looked up in confusion.

"I can't let you stay alone in that room with him anymore. We need to do something."

 _'_ _Like what?'_

"We need to talk to Charlie. I have a plan." Dean led Castiel across the hall so they could talk to Charlie.

* * *

They left Charlie's room about an hour later and had a plan lined up. Charlie was all for it. Castiel had doubts. He told Dean about it on their way to eat dinner.

 _'_ _Do you really think this is a good idea?'_

"I'm not excited about it, but I don't know what else we can do. If this works, we might never see him again."

They entered the food court and made their way to one of the windows to pick up burgers and fries.

 _'_ _Do we have to do it so soon?'_ The plan was to do it the following evening.

"The semester is almost over. We need to take care of him now."

They loaded up their trays and sat at a nearby booth. Dean could tell how scared Castiel was and he reached out a hand and touched his arm to get his attention.

"Hey, if you can't do this, it's okay. We can try to find another way. I don't want to make you do something that'll make you uncomfortable."

Castiel looked at Dean and had a flashback to the night they met. When Dean asked if he even wanted to come home with him, he had been shocked that someone cared about his choice or opinion. He was feeling that again, three years later.

 _'_ _I'll be okay. It's just really sudden.'_ Castiel wanted him gone. He wanted to feel safe.

"Okay, I need to call my dad." Dean took out his phone and called his father.

"Hello, Dean." John answered a little curiously. Dean usually didn't call him, usually just his mother.

"Hi, dad, I have a favor to ask." He was a little nervous about this. He didn't want to worry his dad but he needed to ask for help.

"Sure, what do you need?"

"Would it be possible for you to have an officer close to my dorm building tomorrow night?" Dean cringed when he heard how weird that sounded.

John paused briefly. "Is something wrong, Dean?"

"No, it's just…with the end of the semester coming up, people are acting a little strange and it would just make me feel a little safer. I'm not asking for you to come but one of your good officers."

John still thought it was a strange request but Dean had never asked for anything like this before. "Okay, I can do that. If you need something, son, you can ask."

"I know, dad. I'll be home in a few weeks. Say hi to mom for me."

"I will."

Dean hung up and let out a long breath. "Okay, we're good to go. We can talk about more of the details tomorrow when he's gone."

Castiel nodded and felt a little better. Knowing there would be a police officer just outside the building calmed him a little bit.

* * *

After Rick left the next morning, Dean and Castiel went over the plan together. They prepped both laptops in the room and practiced what they'd do. Castiel was getting nervous again.

 _'_ _What if he doesn't come here tonight, or doesn't do anything?'_ Everything hinged on Rick doing what they expected.

"Then we'll try again tomorrow or the next day until we get him." Dean personally hoped they wouldn't have to wait. He wanted all of this to be over tonight. "I'll be back after my classes. If you change your mind about this when I get back, we won't do it, okay?"

Castiel nodded. _'Okay.'_

While Dean was gone, Castiel tried to read and relax but he couldn't. He spent some time with Charlie between her classes. She had her part of the plan down and tried to comfort him. He knew that he would be okay but he was scared about seemingly provoking Rick.

Before he knew it, it was getting dark and Dean was back from his last class. They had some time before Rick usually got back and Dean checked with Castiel again to make sure he was okay.

 _'_ _I'm ready, Dean. Don't worry.'_

"You sure?"

 _'_ _Yes.'_ Castiel sat at the computer and opened the internet.

"Okay." Dean put his books on his bed and thought over what he was going to say. As he did, he walked over to their window that looked over the parking lot. He saw a patrol car in the parking lot. He thanked his dad internally and turned away to pace around the room.

The sound of the door alerted them to Rick's presence. They both ignored him initially and let him go about his business as usual. About twenty minutes later, Dean acted like he'd gotten a text from a friend asking to meet him.

"I'll be back a little later, Cas. I'm gonna go eat with Charlie and hang out a while." He checked and Rick wasn't looking at them. He signed to Castiel, _'Start the webcam while I distract him.'_

Castiel nodded to him. He opened the webcam when Dean walked over to Rick's desk. He was going to hit record once Dean was finished speaking.

Dean stopped when he reached Rick and turned to him casually. "FYI, Benny told us that he's going to make sure that we keep this room together next semester." He smiled when Rick turned a shocked face to him. "Yeah, he said that it would help us to learn how to get along. He'll be talking to us a lot more often to make sure we're learning to cooperate. If it hadn't been for you saying Cas came after you, he might've let you move next semester," Dean forced a laugh, "isn't that crazy?"

Rick's face was getting a little red. Dean took that as his cue to leave. As he shut the door, he texted Charlie.

 _Wait about 45 seconds and then start his webcam._

 _Will do, dean. Keep me updated._

Dean made his way to the stairs. He was going to wait for the call on the ground floor so he was close enough to get upstairs quickly. He hoped Castiel would be okay.

Castiel felt his body tense once Dean was gone. He could feel how angry Rick was. The webcam on Dean's laptop was running as he pretended to browse the internet. If everything went right, Rick's laptop would start filming within a minute.

It was sooner than that when Rick slammed his desk with an open palm. Castiel jumped at the sound but stared ahead at his screen.

"I'm not spending another semester with you and your angel-fucking owner." Rick stood up roughly enough to knock his chair over.

Castiel's heart was racing and his hands were shaking. He had to ignore him. Give no reason at all for him to accuse him of starting anything.

"I've been trying to get out of this fucking room all semester. That other angel-fucker, Benny, wouldn't let me. You really want me here again next semester?"

When Castiel continued to ignore him, Rick stomped over to the chair he was sitting in and leaned over him.

"Is this some kind of game for you two? I know you both hate me as much as I hate you." Castiel stared ahead and tried to act unaffected, which only pissed him off more. "Look at me."

Castiel swallowed and kept his eyes forward. He knew his phone was in his pocket, but there was no way he could get it now without Rick seeing it.

"I said look at me!" Rick stood up and grabbed Castiel by the collar of his shirt and pulled him up to face him. "I'll just have to make sure your life is hell while I'm stuck here too."

Castiel kept his arms down, not wanting to even touch Rick if he could help it.

Rick dragged Castiel a few steps away from the desk. "What's wrong, you don't wanna fight back at all?" He sneered at Castiel's silence. "You like being tossed around, angel? You probably do. That's all you things are for anyway, right? Seems like you need to be reminded of that."

Castiel's eyes widened and then he felt a strong pain in his side as Rick punched him in the ribs. He fell forward and lost his breath. Rick pulled him up by his hair and threw him into Dean's desk.

He hit the wood with a thud and ended up against the laptop. He looked up at the camera for a brief moment and then Rick grabbed him by the back of the neck and pulled him up to stand. Castiel used his wing to block Rick's view of his pocket and pulled out his phone. He hit to call Dean, whose number was dialed in before he left. He sighed when it went through, knowing help was on the way.

Dean had been waiting in the lobby for the call and was beginning to think it wouldn't come when his phone vibrated. He ignored the call and then dialed 911. He told them something was happening in his room. He made his way to the stairs so he could stop Rick in whatever he was doing.

Castiel hit the desk again as Rick pushed his face into it. He put his hands on the desk to brace himself. Rick leaned over his back.

"You're really just gonna take it aren't you? I'm not too surprised. How often do you take it from Dean? I've seen the way you two look at each other. How often does he fuck you?" He pressed Castiel's face into the desk more.

Castiel closed his eyes and resisted the urge to push against Rick and break his arm. He was much stronger than him and could easily overpower him. He knew Dean would be there soon.

"Since you like it so much, maybe Dean shouldn't be the only one giving it to you." Rick let go of Castiel's neck and stood up.

Castiel was confused briefly, but he heard Rick rustling with his belt and pants and panic shot through him like never before. He pushed himself up but Rick caught him and pushed him back. Castiel scrambled to get a grip again, but Rick pulled on his right wing hard enough to make him see stars.

"Stop fighting!" Rick dug his nails into Castiel's neck.

Tears formed as he worried that Dean wouldn't get here fast enough. His wing was dislocated and Rick was breaking the skin in his neck. He heard movement with Rick's pants again but a loud shout overpowered everything else.

"HEY!" Dean had opened the door and was already running across the room. He grabbed Rick and pulled him off Castiel. Rick only had time to gasp before Dean had punched him in the face hard enough to send him sliding on the floor.

Castiel stood up in time to see Rick push himself up and charge Dean. He turned to the computer and stopped the webcam. When he glanced at Rick's computer, he saw the screen light up and the webcam program stop before going black again. Charlie had done her job.

A grunt brought him back to what was happening. Rick had punched Dean and they were throwing each other into the wall. Castiel ran over and pulled Dean off Rick.

Rick made a run for the door but Dean kicked his desk chair in his direction and made him trip over it.

"You're not going anywhere, asshole." Dean moved to block the door. Sirens were heard outside. They saw Rick's face pale in terror. Dean smiled. "You never did look up my family did you? My dad is the sheriff, dick."

"Fuck," Rick sighed and closed his eyes.

"I'd say so." Dean took a few breaths and then finally looked at Castiel. He was grimacing in pain and holding his right shoulder. "Cas, you okay?"

Castiel waved dismissively but the move sent pain shooting through him. He opened his mouth in a silent groan and took short breaths.

Dean moved closer but Castiel put up a hand to stop him. _'I'll be okay. Help is coming.'_

Then, as if called by Castiel's statement, an officer appeared in the doorway. Dean recognized her as Jody Mills. She took one look at the three of them and guessed what had happened.

"There was a 911 call made?" She looked at Dean, knowing who he was.

"Yeah, that was me." Dean moved closer to her. "My roommate was beating up Castiel." He pointed to the angel.

She looked at Castiel and Dean's bruised face. She took a step into the room and looked at Rick, who was still on the floor, and raised a brow. "Is that true?"

Rick pushed up to sit. "These two have been picking on me all semester. That angel has attacked me more than once. I was just defending myself."

"You lying piece of sh…"

"Dean," Jody interrupted him, "I'll take statements from all of you separately. You two go wait outside and have one of the paramedics look you over when they get here."

"I'm fine." Dean didn't want to leave the room with Rick there. Although, he knew Jody was perfectly safe.

"Your dad won't take that answer. He's on the way." She pointed to the door and gave them an insistent look.

Dean let Castiel go first and followed him. He stopped at the doorway and looked at Jody. "Before you believe his lies, there's a video file on my desktop that you should watch."

She nodded and Dean left the room. The paramedics were just entering the floor, thanks to Charlie waiting in the stairs to direct them and open the door. When she saw Dean and Castiel, she followed them onto the floor.

"Oh my god! Are you guys okay?" She was alarmed by Dean's bruised face and the amount of pain Castiel seemed to be in. She didn't think they would really get hurt before help arrived.

"We'll be okay." He looked at Castiel in sympathy. "Go get Benny. My dad is on the way and another officer is in the room with Rick."

Charlie nodded and went to find the RA. The paramedics sat them both down on the couches. One of them was an angel and she attended to Castiel while the other one looked at Dean.

The angel kneeled in front of Castiel and put down her bag. "My name is Rachel. Are you able to speak?"

Castiel shook his head. 'No, my last owner had my vocal chords removed.'

She nodded to him. 'Okay, I'm going to check you over. Is there anything major I need to look at first?'

'I think he dislocated my right wing.' He tried to move it and jumped in pain.

'I'll check.' She had him turn left so she could look at it. 'I'm going to touch it so I can tell, okay?'

Castiel nodded and braced himself for pain. She gently touched the bone near his back. When she pressed gently, his mouth opened in a silent scream. She pulled her hand back.

'It is dislocated. I can fix that now, but it'll hurt.'

'Do it.'

'Get ready.'

'Wait.' Castiel looked at Dean beside him and tapped his arm. When he looked at him, he signed, _'My wing is dislocated. She needs to fix it. Can you help?'_

"Yeah, what do I need to do?" Dean felt horrible about how much damage Castiel seems to have gotten. He should've gotten there sooner.

 _'_ _Just hold my hand.'_ Castiel held out his left hand.

Dean felt a warmth in his chest that made him smile briefly. He took Castiel's hand. "Just breathe, Cas. You'll be okay."

Castiel nodded and clenched his eyes shut. He gripped Dean's hand hard enough that it had to hurt. Rachel warned him that she was going to fix the wing and then gave it a tug. There was a pop and explosion of pain and then relief.

Dean hissed as Castiel squeezed his hand tight enough that he'd probably have a bruise. Castiel dropped his head and took a few breaths before letting go of Dean's hand.

They finished their exams a few minutes later. Dean was fine with just some bruises. Castiel had a few ribs that were bruised, if not broken, along with his wing. He would need to go to the hospital for x-rays. He also got a bandage for the cuts on the back of his neck.

Benny and Andrea appeared with Charlie as the paramedics were packing up. Charlie had filled them in but they were both still in shock at Dean and Castiel's appearance.

"Are you two okay?" Benny asked as the human paramedic entered the dorm room to check Rick.

Dean smiled and pressed an ice pack to his face. "We'll get there."

"I can't believe he would do something this extreme. I'm so sorry."

"It's not your fault, Benny."

There was knocking on the door leading to the stairs. Charlie opened it and they saw John in uniform. He rushed to his son.

"Dean, are you hurt?"

"Just a shiner, dad. I've had worse." He smiled. "Cas on the other hand…" He looked at the angel sitting beside him.

John looked at Castiel and could see how much pain he was in. Anger bloomed in his chest and he stood. "Where is he?"

Dean pointed to the room. "Officer Mills is in there with him." He nodded and moved to enter the room. Dean almost felt sorry for him having to face his dad's wrath. "Dad," John stopped and looked back, "make sure you watch the video on the desktop if she hasn't already."

John was confused by that, but entered the room with a nod. The door slammed shut. Jody came out a couple minutes later. They could all hear the raised voice of an angry John Winchester.

Jody stood in front of Castiel and Dean. "I need to get statements from both of you." Dean started to speak but she put a hand up. "Separately and not here. You're all gonna have to come down to the station."

"Cas needs to go to the hospital for x-rays." Dean put a hand on his arm.

"And he will. He can join us when he's done."

The paramedic in the room came out and was headed back to the hospital. He said Castiel could ride back with him.

"I don't want him going alone."

"Let me talk to the sheriff and we'll work something out." Jody entered the room again.

 _'_ _I'll be okay at the hospital, Dean.'_ Castiel really just wanted to get out of this dorm for a while.

 _'_ _I don't want you to be alone. One of us here can go with you.'_ It might be silly, but Dean didn't want him to feel abandoned.

John came out of the room and left the door open. He looked at Castiel. "Cas, I'll be following the ambulance to the hospital and I'll take you back to the station after. Dean, you need to go to the station and wait to give your statement to Officer Mills."

Jody exited the room with Rick handcuffed in front of her. His jaw was clenched as he was led past them to the stairs.

John looked at Benny. "Are you the RA?"

"Yes, sir."

"Come with me, please. I'll be right back, Cas." He led Benny into the room but popped his head out. "Dean, you too."

Dean stood and followed his dad into his dorm room. Charlie and Andrea sat by Castiel on the couch.

John led them to Dean's desk. The media player was open. He turned to face them. "I watched the video on the desktop like you said to, Dean. It seems convenient that the webcam happened to be on when this was going on. Can you explain that?" He crossed his arms as he stared at Dean.

Dean shrugged. "Cas must've started it by accident. He's done it before. He's not too tech savvy, dad." He kept his face blank.

John nodded. "So you have no idea about that? Even though you told me to watch it?"

"I realized it was there after everything stopped."

John looked at Benny. "Do you know anything about this?"

"No, sir. They had told me about Rick causing trouble all semester but there was nothing I could do at the time to move him. I know your son never did anything to hurt him and would never do something horrible."

John believed him and looked at Dean to gauge his response. "You've watched the video then?"

"Enough to know what had happened, not the whole thing." Dean was lying but he felt like he had to now.

"You should watch the whole thing now. We'll need to take your computer for evidence. You'll get it back when we're done."

"It's close to finals, dad, I need my computer."

"You'll get it back." He smiled and shook his head. "Come with me so Dean can watch the video alone." He led Benny out of the room.

Dean really didn't want to watch the video but he also felt like he needed to know what exactly happened. He sat in his chair and started the video over.

It physically pained him to see how long it took for Castiel to be able to get to his phone. Everything Rick said made him wish he'd beaten him to a pulp. The look of terror on Castiel's face towards the end almost made him sick. He knew what Rick was planning to do and he felt fury pulse through him anew.

He left the room silently and one look from his dad let him know that Dean had watched everything. He nodded to him.

"Dean, I'll be at the hospital with Castiel. You can take Benny to the station with you. We'll need to talk to him too. Bring your computer."

"Okay." Dean replied automatically and felt like he might throw up. He wanted to hug Castiel after watching that video but he knew that would only hurt right now. He watched Castiel walk out with his dad. Benny and Andrea had gone back to their room to get jackets.

Charlie touched his arm, making him jump. "You alright? You have a weird look on your face."

He looked at her and ran a hand over his face. "Yeah, I'm fine. Charlie, did you watch the webcam any while it was happening?"

She shook her head. "No, I just started it and stopped it when I got your texts. Was it really bad?" She could tell he was really affected by it.

"Yeah, it was." He turned away from her and went back to get his computer and his keys. He locked the room when he left and waited for Benny and Andrea.

"Keep me filled in." Charlie went back across the floor to her room.

Dean nodded to her. He went to his car when the other two showed up. They were all quiet as Dean drove across town to the police station. When Dean made up this plan, he hadn't pictured it being this hard or as unsatisfying.


	18. Chapter 18

Dean led Benny and Andrea through the station and they sat outside his dad's office to wait. Jody had taken Rick back into an interrogation room to get his statement.

"Hey, Benny?" Dean felt the adrenaline from the fight leaving him and fatigue take over.

"Yeah?" Benny turned to look at him.

"Do you think I'd be possible for you to not fill in our room with someone else next semester? I think Cas and I need a break from roommates."

Benny smiled and huffed out a short laugh. "Well, since it's so late in the semester and the circumstances under which Rick is leaving are hardly typical, I think I might just forget to file for a new occupant for that room."

Dean nodded. "Thanks."

Jody came out of the interrogation room alone and looked at Dean. "I need to talk to Benny next. I figured I could get that done so the sheriff could take him back to campus when he gets here so he could go home."

"He doesn't have to do that." Benny put up a hand. "We'd like to stay until Castiel gets here. Andrea is gonna talk for him when he gives his statement."

"Yeah, I can take everyone back. My dad can just go home when Cas gets here." Dean knew that his dad was probably supposed to be off already anyway and felt bad about keeping him any later.

Jody nodded. "Okay, I'll see what he wants to do when he gets here."

Dean glanced at the door behind her. "What did he say?"

"Not much. He's lawyered up. Not that it'll do him much good since we have it all on tape. He's charged with angel cruelty, assault, and attempted rape."

Dean had expected those charges, but Benny and Andrea gasped beside him. "What?" That last one was a surprise for them. "I can't believe he would do something like that. I mean, I knew he was a horrible person, but that…" Benny shook his head and covered his face with his hands. Andrea put a hand on his back to try and comfort him.

Jody nodded in sympathy. "Whenever you're ready, Benny." She opened the door behind her and waited for him to collect himself and move to follow her.

Benny was coming out of the room when John arrived with Castiel. Dean stood as they got closer. John stopped close to his office and said, "Well, his ribs aren't broken, just a couple bruised ones. His wing was out of place, but the paramedic fixed that so it'll just be sore for a while. Everything else checked out okay."

Dean let out a relieved breath. He didn't want Castiel to be hurt at all, but at least it wasn't any worse than the first assumption. "Okay thanks, dad."

John nodded. "I need to talk to you alone for a minute." He opened his office door and waited for Dean to follow.

He had taken one step when Castiel ran forward and embraced him in a tight hug. The wind was knocked out of him briefly but he didn't mind. He wasn't sure of a safe place for his hands that wouldn't hurt Castiel so he just held him gently behind his shoulders.

Castiel buried his face in Dean's neck and wrapped his arms tighter. After Rick and the hospital, he was overdrawn on his ability to hold himself together. His ribs protested a little but he wouldn't let go.

Dean closed his eyes and leaned his head against Castiel's and whispered to him, "Its okay, Cas. Its over. You're safe."

Tears welled up in Castiel's eyes at the words and he had to keep his eyes shut tight to not cry. He held onto Dean a few moments longer and then pulled back while wiping his eyes.

Dean kept his hands on Castiel's shoulders as he stepped back and looked him in the eye. "We're gonna be okay."

Castiel smiled slightly and nodded. He felt like he could start believing that now.

Dean dropped his arms and walked around Castiel to follow his dad. Castiel moved to sit by Andrea and Benny.

John shut his office door once Dean was inside. He sighed and started taking the badge off his shirt. "Okay, I'm taking off the badge," he put it on the table and then pulled his gun from his belt, "and I'm putting this here." He put the gun on the table next to the badge. "I'm officially off the clock and no longer the sheriff. Right now I'm your dad and you're gonna tell me the truth." He held Dean's gaze to let him know he was serious.

Dean nodded. "Of course."

"Did you set that guy up? Did you trap him so he'd get caught?" John felt like he knew the answer, but he wasn't sure.

Dean sighed. He wanted to lie but he decided not to. "Yeah, I did."

John nodded. "Is that why you asked for an officer to be outside your dorm?" Dean just shrugged. "Officer Mills called me before you got here and let me know that somehow another angle of the attack was filmed."

"Really?" Dean kept his voice and face neutral. He would admit to setting up Rick, but he wouldn't rat out Charlie.

"Yeah, and it looked like it was from Rick's webcam on his laptop. Can you explain that?"

Dean shrugged again. "Maybe he was recording something before I left and forgot about it."

John nodded. "Sure, maybe. I guess he also emailed the video to every computer in the station too?" Dean remained silent. "No one is stupid enough to do that, Dean, and I don't believe you have the capability to do that."

"I don't know what to tell you, dad. It wasn't me, and it wasn't Cas."

"That's your story? You're claiming total ignorance?"

"I can't tell you what I don't know."

"Okay," John collected his things and moved to open the door, "that's all I wanted to ask you."

Dean moved to the doorway and stopped. "You can go home, dad. I'll take everyone back to the dorm."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, go ahead. Mom is probably really worried by now."

"I bet." John looked at Castiel as Andrea talked to him. "Take care of him."

Dean looked back at Castiel and smiled. "I always do."

John went home while Dean went in to give his statement. He told Jody that he left to hang out with Charlie and called 911 after getting the call from Castiel and then went back to the room to stop Rick.

She seemed to have the same suspicion as his dad but she took down his statement and let him go. She talked to Castiel briefly after that. There wasn't much he needed to say since his involvement was recorded for the most part.

* * *

The four of them left the station almost two hours after arriving. It was late and Dean and Castiel were extremely tired. They walked back to their rooms together and split off on the floor. Benny put a hand on Dean's shoulder.

"Try to get some rest tonight you two. If you need anything, you know where to find me."

"Thanks, Benny." Dean waved to him and Andrea as they left. He unlocked their door and let Castiel in and he followed. They were both quiet when they entered and seemed lost as to what they should do.

 _'_ _What happens now?'_ Castiel felt a little groggy from the pain medication the hospital gave him.

"Now, we sleep. I have classes tomorrow and then we'll have all weekend to relax." Dean opened his closet to get his pajamas. Castiel stayed where he was and seemed to be staring blankly at the beds. Dean took Castiel's pajama pants from his closet and handed them to the angel.

Castiel took the clothing automatically. He was too tired to think very well. Dean was able to see that and gently guided him to stand beside his bed.

"Don't worry, Cas. We'll never have to see him again. He can't hurt you anymore. We're safe." Dean put his clothes on the top bunk and turned Castiel to face him. The angel almost looked asleep already. "You got the good pain meds, huh?"

Castiel blinked slowly and nodded. _'I don't feel anything, Dean.'_

Dean laughed. "Good. Hopefully you won't feel the pain for a while." Dean began unbuttoning Castiel's shirt so he could take it off to sleep. Castiel looked down and watched as he did so.

Dean was careful to slide the shirt off his injured wing first and then pulled it off the other side. He winced at the dark bruises on his chest. That would hurt for weeks.

He guided Castiel to sit on the bed and handed him his pajama pants. "You got it from here?" Dean was a little wary to try and take Castiel's pants off after what happened. Castiel nodded. "Good."

As Castiel fumbled with his jeans, Dean took his clothes and changed by his closet, tossing his dirty clothes in the laundry basket. He came back as Castiel was pulling his pajamas on. He helped him lay back slowly on the bed and he turned on his right side and fell asleep almost immediately.

Dean heard a sound coming from Castiel's pocket in his jeans and pulled out the bottle of pain pills. He left them on the desk and tossed Castiel's jeans in the basket with the other clothes. He turned the lights off and climbed the ladder to his top bunk to sleep.

* * *

When Castiel woke up, his first breath felt like he was being stabbed with a fork. He jumped and put a hand over his bruised ribs. The warmth from his hand seemed to help slightly. He kept his breathing shallow and tried to roll over to get out of bed. The small movement to try was enough to shoot pain through his body.

Castiel bit his lip and stilled his movements. He was going to need help getting out of bed. His right wing ached and his neck burned. He wished he could fall back asleep, but that wasn't possible now. Dean had an early class today so he should be up soon.

He only had to wait about fifteen minutes before Dean's alarm went off and he was climbing down the ladder. Castiel raised an arm up to get his attention.

"Hey, Cas," Dean leaned on the bed frame, "how are you feeling?"

Castiel couldn't sign right now and just shook his hand at Dean so he'd help him up. Dean got the idea and took Castiel's hand. When he tried to pull him up, the pain was too much and he signaled to stop.

"Maybe we need to roll you on your back first."

That wouldn't be easy with Castiel's sore wing behind him. He'd have to lift up enough to move his wings flat beneath him. Castiel reached up both hands and Dean helped him move enough to put his wings were they needed to be.

It hurt but Castiel was able to get on his back. He stayed flat for a minute as he breathed through the pain. He moved his legs to hang off the bed, hoping he could push up to stand, but it wasn't happening.

 _'_ _Hold my neck and arm and pull me up.'_ Dean would almost have to carry Castiel out of bed.

Dean nodded and ducked under the top bunk. He put his right arm under Castiel's neck and shoulders and took his right arm in his left. Dean's face was inches away from Castiel's and he felt a little strange at the proximity.

"You ready?"

Castiel nodded and let himself be lifted up by Dean. If he didn't use his muscles, it didn't hurt much. Dean got him sitting upright on the edge of the bed. He took a few slow breaths and braced himself on Dean's shoulder so he could stand.

Dean picked up the pill bottle from his desk and took one out for Castiel. He handed it to him. "Here, it'll help."

 _'_ _Thanks.'_ Castiel took it and swallowed it dry.

Dean looked at Castiel's bruises and they were a lot darker than yesterday. He turned away and went to get his clothes for the day. He changed and then went to use the bathroom.

When he passed the mirror, he stopped and looked at his face. He hadn't seen the damage on himself until now. His left eye was swollen and the skin around it was dark blue and purple. His knuckles on his right hand were cut up and red.

He washed his hands and returned to the room. He helped Castiel get a shirt over his wings and arms. "I'll be back after my morning classes. You can let Charlie know what's going on whenever she's out of class too."

Castiel nodded and could feel the pills kicking in. He was still nervous about being alone but he had to tell himself that he was okay now. Dean picked up his bag and was heading to the door when Castiel caught up to him and grabbed his arm.

Dean turned to look at Castiel. "What?"

 _'_ _I want to tell you about my last owner and what happened to me there.'_

It was the first time he'd ever offered to talk about that. "Okay, um," he really couldn't miss class this close to finals, "tell you what. Write it all down, or see if Charlie will let you borrow her computer, and type it all up for me, everything you want me to know. Then, I'll read it whenever you say I can."

Castiel thought about it and nodded in agreement. After what happened last night, he finally felt ready to tell someone else about his past.

"I will be back in a few hours." Dean smiled and then left for class.

Castiel texted Charlie and she agreed to bring her computer over for Castiel to use. She stayed a while so Castiel could fill her in on what happened after she left. She gave him a gentle hug before leaving for class. Castiel sat at Dean's desk and stared at the open Word document for several minutes. He didn't even know where to start.

* * *

Dean was in his last class of the morning: Angel Studies. Balthazar was going over the main points on the final exam. Dean had a hard time concentrating as he thought about getting to finally know what had happened to Castiel. He wasn't sure he really wanted to know, but he felt like he needed to.

When class ended, Dean made his way to the front of the auditorium. "Professor?"

Balthazar turned around. "Yes?" He gasped when he saw Dean's face. "Good lord what happened to you?"

Dean laughed. "My asshole roommate decided to try and beat up Castiel last night."

Worry crossed Balthazar's face. "Is he alright?"

"Yeah, he'll heal. He has a few bruised ribs and sore wing, but he'll be okay."

"I hope you called the police."

"I did. My dad is actually the sheriff."

Balthazar laughed. "Well tough shit for that guy."

"You have no idea. But, I was just wanting to let you know that they had to take my computer for a little while and I won't be able to get our final paper done as quickly as I'd hoped."

Balthazar nodded in understanding. "I see. Well, as long as you get it to me before the final, I think you'll be fine. You're one of the highest scores in the class, Dean. Your papers have always been done well. I expect nothing less this time."

"Thank you." Dean sagged in relief. He'd been worried he'd have to start the paper over in the library to finish in time.

"Just take care of yourself and Castiel."

"I will." Dean left after thanking him again and made his way back to the dorm. When he got to his floor, he saw signs up for a mandatory floor meeting that night. He could guess what it was about.

He found Castiel typing at his desk when he walked in. Castiel glanced back at him before turning back to the computer.

"Where's Charlie?" Usually she was with Castiel this time of day.

 _'_ _Bringing food.'_

"Great." Dean put his books down and sat on Castiel's bed. "Balthazar gave me until the final to finish my paper."

 _'_ _Good. I know you were worried about that.'_

"Yeah, he was worried about you."

 _'_ _He doesn't need to worry about me.'_

"I know." Dean glanced at the computer. "You still working on that?" Castiel nodded. "Okay, just let me know when you're ready to let me read it." He stood up took out his phone.

A few minutes later, Charlie entered the room with lunch for everyone. They sat around and talked while they ate. As Charlie was throwing away the trash, Dean thanked her for letting Castiel use her computer.

"No problem. That's not my only one. My favorite, personal computer is in my room. This is just one of my spares. Castiel can actually keep it if he wants."

Dean frowned at Castiel. "Really?"

She shrugged. "Sure. I'll just delete all my stuff on there and he can have it."

 _'_ _That would be great, Charlie. It would be nice if I didn't need to use Dean's.'_

"Cool, it's settled. That computer is now yours, Cas." She cleared off her data and then left for class.

Dean checked the time and realized he needed to leave too. "I'll see you later." Castiel waved as he left the room.

Dean was on his way to Math and saw Jo coming down the opposite end of the hallway. He cursed himself internally. He should've told her about this when it happened. They were close to the door when she could see his bruises.

"Oh my god! What happened?" She moved close to him and put a hand on his arm.

"Rick finally snapped." It had been a few weeks since she'd broken up with him and this was the first time they'd spoken.

"And Cas?"

"He's hurt but nothing too serious. Rick is in jail. He's not coming back." It still felt good to say those words.

"Thank god. When did this happen?"

"Last night."

Her eyebrows shot up. "What are you doing going to class? You should be resting."

Dean smiled. "This close to finals? I can't miss precious study time."

"I think the teachers would be okay if you told them what happened."

He shook his head. "No, I'm fine. This is my last one today. I can handle it."

She sighed, knowing she wouldn't change his mind. "Alright, whatever you say." They walked in together and took their seats.

After class, Jo pulled him aside. "Listen, Dean, I'm sorry about the way things ended. I may have been a little more blunt than I needed to be."

"Well, you did warn me to wait to hear it from you."

"I did. I do still hope we can be friends. It's been boring without you and Charlie and Castiel."

"You can still hang out with Charlie, she's not exclusively my friend."

Jo smiled. "I know. It just feels weird to ask."

"I miss you too, Jo. Maybe after things have calmed down and winter break is over, I'll be ready for that." He was still confused and a little hurt by Jo's reasoning about ending their relationship. He needed time to get over that.

"Fair enough. I'll see you later, Dean."

"Later." They waved to each other and parted ways down the hall.


	19. Chapter 19

This chapter contains talk and mentions of past abuse of a child. If you don't want to accidentally read it, it is in a block of italic writing. Be warned.

* * *

Dean found Castiel reading at his desk when he got back to the room. He dropped his bag by the chair and sighed. "I'm so glad the weekend is here." Dean was looking forward to some rest.

 _'_ _Me too.'_

Dean moved to sit on Castiel's bed. "Did you see the signs about the floor meeting today?" Castiel nodded without looking up from his book. "I couldn't imagine what that's about," Dean said sarcastically.

Castiel laughed. _'It'll probably be the last one this semester.'_

"Yeah," Dean looked at him, "you don't have to go if you don't want to."

 _'_ _I'm fine.'_

"You sure?" Dean didn't want him to do anything that would hurt him or make him uncomfortable.

Castiel put his book down to look at Dean. _'I'm sure. Don't worry about me.'_

Dean nodded and dropped it. "I talked to Jo today. It didn't even occur to me that I should tell her about this until I saw her coming."

 _'_ _What did she say?'_

"She was worried about us. She's glad that Rick is finally gone though. She also wanted to know if we could be friends again." Dean looked down at his hands until he saw Castiel's hands moving.

 _'_ _What did you say to her?'_ He had hoped Jo and Dean could get to be friendly again.

Dean shrugged. "I told her that we would see about that after the break. It was just so weird talking to her."

 _'_ _Well, you haven't talked to her in a few weeks. It takes time.'_

"Yeah, I know. So, you want to go get dinner before we have the floor meeting?"

Castiel nodded and stood up. _'Sure.'_ He winced a little when he stood up. His ribs were more painful than he'd anticipated.

They were close to the door when Castiel stopped him with a hand. "Yeah?"

 _'_ _I finished what I was writing for you. You can read it whenever you want.'_ It had been harder than he thought to finish writing all the bad experiences from his past. He was still nervous about Dean reading it but he wanted to share it.

"Okay, good. I'll read it after the floor meeting." Dean smiled. He was relieved that Castiel finally felt comfortable opening up to him.

They went to the food court for dinner and then made it back up in time for the meeting. They gathered with the rest of the floor near Benny's room. A few of them asked Dean about his eye, and he would just tell them that he was hit by a jerk. It wasn't a lie technically.

Once everyone was gathered, Benny spoke. "Thank you for coming. I know this was sudden and you're all busy so I'll keep it brief. One of the people on this floor is no longer living here. He is actually no longer going to this school because he violated one of our policies and will face the proper punishment for what he did. I thought this would be a good time to reiterate some of our rules so next semester will be better."

Everyone glanced around at the group to try and see who the missing person was. Dean had already heard some others talking about it. Some had the information right, but no one was sure.

"The noise policy should be especially important this time of year. Many of you are studying or trying to finish projects so please respect the quiet hours for everyone's sake. Also, if any of you are having issues with a roommate in any way, please come to me and let me know. I will do everything I can to try and fix the problem."

Benny went over a few other things as far as when the dorms close and what they'd have to do before leaving for the break. When he was finished, the group scattered to their rooms. Dean and Castiel talked to Charlie and Gilda for a few minutes before going back to their room.

Castiel took another pain pill once they were in the room, and sat on his bed. Dean sat at his desk and looked at the laptop sitting open in front of him. He had told Castiel that he would read what he wrote about his past experiences with his owner, but now that he was sitting there, he was hesitating. Did he really want to know all the details of the abuse Castiel went through?

He looked at Castiel and saw him arranging his pillow so he could sit up on the bed. He had a book he was reading in his hands and opened it once he was comfortable. Dean smiled when he thought about how far Castiel had come since he met him. At first he was an emaciated, terrified cautious angel. Now he could read and write, he was comfortable with the family and friends, and was more muscular than Dean at the moment.

Dean unlocked the laptop and saw the open Word document on the screen. He took a breath and began to read.

 _I had a hard time beginning this. I wasn't sure where to begin or what to really say. I've never told anyone about what has happened to me and always believed that no one even cared to know. So, I'll start at the beginning._

 _I was born and spent the first 8 years of my life in a breeder's house. He was a nice man. He never hurt any of the angels he bred. My parents seemed happy there and I was never once worried about my future. It wasn't until I got older that I realized why I should've been worried._

 _This breeder didn't have a lot of money and was never too questioning or picky about who he sold angels to, as long as they paid him. Many people acquired angels from him that had no business taking them. My owner was one of them. He came to the house when I was 8. He was a repeat customer for the breeder. He picked me out of a small line up of other boys around my age._

 _At first I was happy to be moving on. I had seen many siblings being taken away and assumed that was my duty, my purpose. I was sad that I would be leaving my parents, but they told me to be strong and to be good._

 _He took me to his house, which was a huge estate. There were many angels at his house working as maids and servants. None of them looked at me when we came in. He led me straight to a bedroom on the second floor. There was something attached to one of the bedposts. I would learn that it was called a collar and leash. This one was metal and had a metal linked chain. He closed it around my neck and that was the last time it would be put on or taken off for seven years._

 _The chain was long enough to allow me to walk around the bed a few feet on every side, but not long enough to reach the door or window. There was a pot near the bed I used as a bathroom._

 _A few days after that, a doctor visited me and performed the surgery to silence me forever. A couple days later everything got much worse. For the first time, he came into the room with me. I didn't know what to expect. I had no idea that other people would or could hurt each other. That night was the first night he hurt me. I guess he needed to wait until after my surgery so he wouldn't have to listen to me scream and cry as he violated me._

 _It was always the same afterward, one of the other angels would come in after he left and would clean me and the room. They would also bring me food twice a day. I cried and asked them why this was happening. None of them ever answered me. I soon stopped asking._

 _Eventually they stopped putting clothes back on me as it seemed an inconvenience to the often drunk owner at his visits. I spent most of my time there wearing nothing. Every week or so I would ask one of the angels to help me or to let me go. They told me that no one was coming, no one cared, and that there was no hope. At the age of nine, I had lost all faith in the world and the people in it. I would lay silently in my bed through the day and stare out the window, wishing I could break my chains and fly out into the sky and be free._

 _You would think that this was as bad as it could get right? I thought so too. Sometime after I turned 9, my owner began throwing parties for his friends. I could hear them from upstairs. They were loud and drunk. When I heard their footsteps stumbling up the stairs, I grew scared quickly. The door opened and eight men entered the room. Each one took a turn while the others watched. It was that night that I began begging the other angels to kill me. I didn't want to live anymore if this was what living meant._

 _My owner began hosting parties once a week. After that started, I was being examined by doctors on a regular basis. They were always rough with me and took blood in a way that left bruises for days. None of them seemed to care about my pain, and I knew then that no one ever would._

 _I endured this for years. My fear died. My anger died. My disgust died. I had lost anything that caused me to feel. I was dead by most people's definition. I could tell that I was getting taller and that I was growing older, but I had no idea how long I'd been chained in that place._

 _When I began to feel slight stubble on my face, I began to realize that my owner was visiting me less and his visits didn't always go well for him. I was too numb at that point to understand the change._

 _Then, one day my owner came into the room with clothes. He took off my collar and told me to put the clothes on. He then led me to his car and drove me into the crowded downtown area of the city. I had never seen so many people or buildings so big._

 _He pulled up to an alley and told me to get out. I hesitated, confused about what he meant. He got out of the car and pulled me from the vehicle. Then he got back in the car and drove off without me. I didn't know what to do. Part of me was relieved that it was finally over, I was free. Part of me was terrified as I'd never been alone and I had no idea what to do._

 _That night I learned about the cruelty of the streets. I was attacked and lost my shoes and shirt. In my search for food, I experienced my first broken bone. I had nowhere to go and no one to help._

 _Eventually I learned how to survive and get what I needed. It was a frequent occurrence for me to be attacked by homeless humans and angels. We were all desperate for food and shelter._

 _I spent 2 years surviving and eventually felt like I had done all I could do. I was weak and tired of putting so much effort into a life that seemed hopeless. I had no reason to go on._

 _Then, I was found by a group of teenage boys that were bored. I took their hits and their kicks. I had no strength to fight back and I had accepted my fate. I believed this would be the night I would die. Then I heard a voice say stop. You made them leave._

 _You saved my life. Not only that night, but as a whole. I was ready to die but you said no. You gave me a reason to fight, a reason to believe that maybe there was something worth living for, worth fighting for. My life was filled with pain and disappointment until I met you. You showed me that someone could care about me and that I shouldn't give up._

 _I don't think I'll ever be able to make you understand how happy you've made me, Dean. I wouldn't be here without you. You gave me hope and safety. Those are two things I hadn't had in a long time, if at all. I look forward to waking up now and I want to see what the future has in store for me._

Dean had tears in his eyes as he finished reading. Some of what he assumed about Castiel's last owner had been correct, but reading about it was hard for him. Reading about his mental state during it and after was what really broke Dean's heart. He never thought about the internal effects he had on Castiel and was touched by the words.

He closed the computer and pushed away from the desk to stand. He wiped his eyes and turned to face the angel. Castiel was watching him cautiously. Dean shook his head and moved to sit by Castiel on his bed.

"I'm so sorry, Cas. I never would've put you in the position I did last night if I'd known about all that." Tears fell as he spoke. He felt horrible about what happened. It was no wonder Castiel reacted the way he did to Rick's words and actions.

Castiel put his book down to sign. _'Its okay, Dean. I agreed to do it. He had to be taken care of.'_

"Not at the expense of your mental health." Dean wiped his face and closed his eyes. He didn't understand how people could be so awful.

Castiel gently touched Dean's shoulders and waited for him to open his eyes. When he did, Castiel pulled him in for a light hug. His ribs burned some but he dealt with it.

Dean laughed and put an arm around Castiel's neck. He had just told Dean about this horrible abusive past and pain, yet he was the one comforting Dean.

They held the hug for a few moments and then Castiel pulled back so he could sign. _'Can I ask you a favor?'_

"Of course, anything."

 _'_ _Could you play your guitar for me? You don't have to sing if you don't feel like it.'_ It was always comforting for him when Dean played and sang. He hadn't done it since he and Jo broke up.

Dean sighed. He wasn't really feeling like doing that right now but Castiel was giving him a pleading look that was hard to refuse. He got his guitar and sat silently trying to decide what to play.

Castiel sat on the end of his bed patiently waiting for Dean. He was glad that he decided to do this. He knew it made Dean feel better too. After some time contemplating, Dean began playing. It was something Castiel had heard on the radio before, but never from Dean.

He was feeling it enough that Dean began singing, "Hope when you take that jump, you don't fear the fall. Hope when the water rises, you built a wall. Hope when the crowd screams out, they're screaming your name. Hope if everybody runs, you choose to stay."

Dean played the short instrument part after that and Castiel felt tears sting his eyes. That last line hit him right now and he closed his eyes to keep himself from crying.

Dean's voice grew stronger for the next verse. "Hope that you fall in love, and it hurts so bad. The only way you can know is give it all you have, and I hope that you don't suffer but take the pain. Hope when the moment comes, you'll say…I did it all. I, I did it all. I owned every second that this world could give. I saw so many places, the things that I did, and with every broken bone, I swear I lived."

Castiel opened his eyes and watched as Dean lost himself in the song and the music, as he usually did. It warmed his heart to see him this way. They had both been through so much this semester.

Dean finished the song and could tell how much it helped him. He picked another song and kept playing.

When his right hand began hurting, he stopped and realized he'd been playing for almost an hour. It was getting late so they decided to go to bed. Dean got up to put his guitar away. He looked at Castiel shifting on his bed so he could sit on the edge.

"Do you need help with your shirt?" Dean knew that his wing was probably still too sore to deal with the clothing too much.

Castiel nodded. His ribs were causing him a problem with lifting his arm too much at the moment. He started unbuttoning his shirt. When he had it open, he dropped his hands.

Dean held the shirt up so Castiel could pull his arm out and then gently pulled it over his sore wing.

Castiel's heart was beating a little faster as Dean leaned in and had his arms around him. He had to close his eyes and tell himself to relax. He wasn't scared or worried, but Dean's proximity made him feel warm and slightly nervous.

It almost seemed like Castiel was shaking while Dean carefully pulled the shirt off of Castiel. When he got it off, he took a couple steps back.

"Are you okay? I didn't hurt you did I?" Dean balled up the shirt as he talked.

 _'_ _No, I'm fine.'_ He smiled reassuringly.

"Alright," Dean turned to throw the shirt into the laundry basket, "I'll get your pants for you so you don't have to get up."

Castiel nodded even though Dean wouldn't see it. He didn't know why he was suddenly feeling so different. This had never happened before. He was just thinking about Charlie's words a few weeks back. Was he really in love with Dean? He definitely cared more about Dean than anyone else he'd ever known. He felt more comfortable with him than he ever had before. Plus he was very attractive, although Castiel hadn't really thought about it much before they came to this school.

Dean came from his closet with his and Castiel's pajamas in hand. He held the pants out to Castiel and the angel seemed lost in thought. Dean leaned down slightly to catch his eye.

"Cas?"

Castiel jumped at his name. He hadn't realized Dean was standing so close. He shook his head and took the pants Dean was holding out.

"You sure you're okay?"

 _'_ _Yes.'_ Castiel put his pajamas on the bed so he could take off his jeans.

Dean nodded and picked up the bottle of pain pills on his desk. "You want one before you go to sleep?" Dean wasn't sure when he'd taken one after this morning.

Castiel shook his head. He could've used one but he didn't like how groggy they made him.

"They'll be here if you change your mind." Dean put them back on the desk and then left to use the bathroom and change.

Castiel went through the task of changing his pants while Dean was gone. It was difficult since his ribs prevented him from bending or twisting too much without a lot of pain. He ended up laying on his back so he could pull up his pajama pants.

He took a few calming breaths as his pain grew. Dean was opening the door when Castiel had maneuvered himself onto his good side to sleep.

A few days later, Benny told them that Rick's parents would be coming by to pick up his things since he wouldn't be back. He told them to be somewhere else when they planned to come to avoid any more trouble. He was in the room with them to make sure they only took what was Rick's.

Dean got his computer back after a week so he was able to finish his paper in time for the final. Rick was sent to jail and Dean passed all his finals. It was early December when the semester ended and Dean and Castiel went home for the break.


	20. Chapter 20

Dean and Castiel had made it home for winter break and were greeted by Mary at the door.

"Hi, mom." Dean smiled and laughed as his mother embraced him. It had been a little over a month since he'd come home to visit.

"I'm so glad you're here, sweetheart." Mary kissed Dean's cheek before letting him go.

"Me too. It was a long semester." Dean walked by Mary with his suitcase.

Castiel stepped up after Dean. He and Mary shared a brief look before she pulled him close in a tight hug. He hugged her back with a wide smile on his face. Castiel had missed Mary more than he thought he would.

Mary whispered to him as they hugged, "I'm glad you're okay. I was so worried about you."

Castiel squeezed her a little and dropped his forehead on her shoulder. He wished he could thank her properly.

Mary let him go and walked them to the living room. Sam came down the stairs. He looked taller since they'd seen him last. Dean walked over to his brother and hugged him briefly.

"What did I say about getting taller?" Dean tousled Sam's hair.

Sam smacked his hand. "Yeah, I'll try to get better about that."

Dean went up the stairs to put his stuff away. Sam crossed the living room and smiled at Castiel.

"Hi, Cas."

Castiel waved and smiled at him.

"You glad to be home?" After the trouble they'd had Sam couldn't imagine him not being happy.

Castiel nodded.

They waited for John to get home and then they all went out to eat. Dean told them about Benny not finding another student to room with them. They were all relieved to hear that.

The following Monday, Sam was at school since high school went longer than college, and Dean's parents were both at work. Dean and Castiel were in Dean's room. Castiel had been reading and Dean was browsing the internet.

Dean asked, "When was the last time you did a drawing?" He couldn't remember the last time he'd seen the angel with his sketch pad.

Castiel shrugged. _'I don't know. I haven't really felt the mood was right recently.'_

"I guess not." Dean knew it was probably similar to his music. If he wasn't in the right mindset, he wouldn't play. "I think you should give it a try during the break. It used to make you really happy."

Castiel looked up and smiled. It did help calm him in the past. _'If the feeling strikes, I will.'_

"Good." Dean let him get back to his book. They spent the rest of the day quietly to themselves.

* * *

The next morning, Castiel woke up earlier than Dean. The sun was just starting to rise. When he went to use the bathroom, he heard Mary downstairs. He used the bathroom and then went downstairs and found Mary cooking in the kitchen.

She jumped when she saw Castiel. "Oh, goodness," she put a hand on her chest and laughed, "I'm not used to you being here anymore. What are you doing up so early?"

Castiel shrugged and automatically signed, _'I wanted to help you.'_ It wasn't until she frowned that he remembered she didn't know sign language. It had become such a habit with Dean that he didn't think twice.

He found a piece of paper and wrote down what he said with an apology. She smiled.

"Thanks, sweetie, but it's your break. I don't want to make you work while you're here."

 _It's no problem. I don't do a whole lot at school and I want to feel useful._

Mary put a hand on his shoulder. "Okay, go ahead. I've forgotten what it's like having help around the kitchen."

Castiel helped with the pancakes while she made eggs for everyone. They were almost done when Sam stumbled downstairs while yawning. He greeted them with a mumble and sat at the breakfast counter.

Mary kissed his forehead and put a plate of food in front of him. Castiel waved at him. He stared at the plate blankly for a minute before picking up his silverware.

"How many days do you have left, Sam?" Mary was glad that Dean would be here when school let out so they didn't have to worry about Sam being alone while she and John were at work.

He cleared his throat before answering, "Ten."

She nodded. "That's not too many." Sam just grunted in response.

Sam had eaten and left with Mary before Dean and John came out to eat. John ate fast and headed to the station. Dean took his time and ate with Castiel. They spent the day watching movies and going out in the scattered snow that was falling all day.

They had been outside for a while when Castiel went back inside to get something. Dean continued kicking the snow to make it spray around him. He did this a few times before hitting a hidden patch of ice and slipping. His heart jumped as his feet went out from under him and he landed on his back.

Dean coughed as the wind was knocked out of him and the snow soaked into his hair. He heard the snow crunching as Castiel ran over to him.

 _'_ _Are you okay?'_ Castiel had opened the door in time to see Dean's feet fly up and he landed on his back.

Dean laughed and let his arms fall open in the snow. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just bruised my pride."

Castiel shook his head and held out a hand. Dean took it and stood. He then saw what Castiel was holding.

"You gonna draw something?" He tapped the sketchpad in Castiel's hand.

 _'_ _I might. I feel like sketching.'_ The snowy background and Dean's rosy cheeks made him feel the urge to draw.

"Well, don't let me stop you." Dean brushed off the snow from his pants and continued walking around the yard.

Castiel went back to the house and grabbed a lawn chair so he could sit without being in the snow. He began with just drawing the tree in the yard and then focused on Dean. He was walking around and kicking snow around. When he got to the tree, he would pull on the branches to make the snow fall over him. The smile and laugh that caused gave Castiel the look he wanted in the drawing.

Castiel drew quickly and looked at Dean whenever he shook the tree again to get that image in his brain again. Soon it wasn't hard as it began snowing again.

Dean looked up at the flakes and smiled as they hit his face. He knew he wouldn't get a lot of snow living in Kansas so he always appreciated anything he could get.

The drawing was mostly finished and Castiel closed the pad so the falling snow wouldn't ruin the page. When he looked up, he saw Dean's arm move like he'd thrown something. He then felt a cold slap of snow in his face.

Dean laughed as the snowball hit Castiel square in the face. The angel sat in stunned silence briefly. Dean was worried that maybe Castiel wouldn't understand the concept of a snowball fight. He was proven wrong as the angel stood up and then crouched to make his own snowball.

That was how it started. Soon Dean was taking cover behind the tree and Castiel was using his wings to cover his face. They laughed and ran around the yard like children as the snow fell around them.

They didn't stop until Castiel's ungloved hands grew numb from the cold. Dean took the chair and sketchpad back while Castiel went inside to warm his hands. Dean opened the book and saw the new sketch. He smiled when he saw the snowy tree and his own smiling face.

* * *

That night Castiel had a dream, one that was very different from the kind he was used to having. It involved him and Dean but nothing bad or stressful was happening. He was fuzzy with the details but he remembered feeling Dean's arms around him and his face being really close to him. He had a feeling of longing and want. Dean kissed him in the dream and Castiel felt a rush of pleasure.

As the kiss deepened and Castiel could feel Dean's hands on the back of his head and getting close to his wings, Castiel twitched and woke himself up. He sat up quickly and tried to straighten out his thoughts. He looked at the bed next to him and saw Dean sleeping peacefully.

Castiel shook his head and took a few breaths. He was just dreaming. He'd never dreamt about Dean like that. He never dreamed about anyone like that. Castiel sighed and fell back onto his side. There was no reason to think about it too much. He knew Dean would probably never even entertain the idea of them being more than they are now. Even if Castiel was starting to think about it.

When Dean woke up, he was surprised to find Castiel still sound asleep. The angel usually always woke up before him. He figured he was just tired so he got up and went down to talk to his parents before they went to work.

A couple hours passed and Castiel still hadn't come down yet. Dean went back to his room and found the angel still sleeping. That worried him. He walked over to him and touched his arm gently.

"Cas?" He didn't get much response. Usually the angel was easy to wake up. "Cas?" Dean shook his arm a little harder.

Castiel shot up in bed, almost knocking Dean over. Both of them were taken by surprise. Castiel put a hand over his racing heart.

"God you scared me." Dean laughed as the angel rolled his eyes.

 _'_ _Scared you?'_

"Yeah, its 10:00 and you hadn't woken up yet. Then it actually took some effort to wake you up. Are you alright? You don't feel sick do you?" He hoped he hadn't made him sick by being in the cold and snow so long.

 _'_ _No, I'm not sick. I just didn't sleep much last night. I had some dreams that kept me awake for a while.'_

"Really? I'm surprised I didn't wake up. Usually I notice when you're having bad dreams." Dean felt bad. Castiel hadn't had a nightmare in a few weeks. There was another surge of them after what happened with Rick, which Dean felt horrible and responsible for, but none since then.

Castiel shifted and debated telling Dean what the dream was about. He didn't know how he'd react. _'They weren't nightmares. Just confusing dreams that kept me up thinking. Don't worry about it.'_

Dean felt a little relieved. "Oh, alright. As long as you're okay." He took a few steps away from Castiel. "We have the house to ourselves again so we can do whatever we want." He smiled at him as he left the room.

Castiel smiled at him as he shut the door. He then grabbed his phone to text Charlie.

 _Charlie I think im in trouble. I had a dream about dean last night. A good dream._

The response was almost immediate. _What?! Cas had a sex dream?_

Castiel rolled his eyes. _No not a sex dream. He was kissing me. It kept me up a while last night. I don't know what to think._

 _It was just a dream Cas. Everyone has something like that at some point. It doesn't help that you're in love with Dean. I'm assuming you didn't tell him?_

 _Not the details no. Should I?_

 _Idk do you want Dean to think about something like that? If you want to plant the idea in his head, you could._

 _I feel like that would just make it weird. I've never had a good dream about anyone before._

 _Lol get used to them. You'll probably have them more often. I can't tell you what to do. Do whatever feels right._

 _Would you if you were in my place?_

 _Probably but I'm not one for subtlety in these matters. If I was all heart eyed for someone and thought they were the same for me, I would make them think about it too so they would know I felt like they did. Hopefully that made sense lol_

 _Yeah I think I get it. Thanks Charlie I'll let you know what happens._

 _Okay later!_

Castiel put his phone down and got up to dress for the day. Once he was dressed, he went downstairs. Dean was watching TV in the living room.

"Hey," he smiled at him and patted the couch.

Castiel sat by him and watched the show on the television with mild interest. All he could think about was what to do about that dream. Part of him told him to just keep quiet, while the other part was curious as to how Dean would react. The first part won out and he ended up just sitting by Dean silently while he watched TV.

* * *

Most of the break was that way. He had dreams about Dean most nights and then felt strange around Dean all day. He never told Dean about it.

Towards the end of December, Sam was out of school and they celebrated Castiel's 20th birthday. He had asked that they not go out to eat like they usually did for birthdays. Mary baked him a cake and they ordered pizza at his request.

The whole family was home and they sat in the living room together eating the pizza and cake. Castiel sat on the floor in the middle of all the furniture so he could open his presents for all to see.

He had gotten clothes from John and Mary. Sam had gotten him a couple books he was interested in. The one from Dean was a professional quality camera. He thanked everyone and took all his presents upstairs. Dean followed him.

"You like everything?" He had been a little nervous buying the camera. He wasn't sure what Castiel would think.

Castiel nodded and turned to him while holding the camera. _'This couldn't have been cheap.'_

Dean laughed. It wasn't, but he didn't mind. "No, not cheap. I wanted you to have a good camera so you could take pictures for any drawing you might want to do of it later, or just to take nice pictures."

 _'_ _When did you get this?'_ He spent most of the time with Dean and didn't see him buy this.

"I bought it online and had it shipped here. I couldn't ruin the surprise."

 _'_ _Thank you, Dean. I really like it.'_

"Good. Happy birthday, Cas." He moved across the room and pulled Castiel into a hug.

Castiel's heart skipped a beat as Dean got closer. He returned the hug and wanted to hold it longer but Sam cleared his throat from the doorway.

Dean pulled back and turned to look at his brother. "What?"

Sam was smirking. "Mom is gonna go get some milkshakes and wants to know if you guys want any."

"Uh, yeah I do." Dean clapped Castiel's shoulder and walked by Sam to go talk to his mom.

"You too, Cas?" Sam asked once Dean was at the stairs.

Castiel nodded and went to the desk to get a piece of paper to write it down. Sam entered the room while he wrote.

"So, you and Dean are still pretty close, huh?" Castiel nodded. "That's surprising after you having to be so close to him physically at school."

Castiel laughed as he handed the paper to Sam. He took a couple steps to the door and then stopped and looked at Castiel.

"Have you told him how you feel about him yet?"

He felt icy dread go through him. Sam knew? He looked behind Sam and then back with a worried look.

Sam saw the instant change with Castiel. He had just been guessing by the looks they'd shared and missed from each other. Clearly he was right.

"Don't worry. I won't say anything to him." Sam took the paper downstairs to his mom.

Castiel stayed in the room for a while. Was it that obvious to everyone around him? If it was so obvious, why hadn't Dean guessed yet?

He eventually shook off his worries and went downstairs. They all ate their ice cream when Mary got back.

The following week they all celebrated Christmas, followed by New Years. Castiel spent the holidays testing his new camera. He really enjoyed taking pictures and would continually fill up the SD card so he had to keep putting them on his computer and starting over.

After Sam started school again in January, the days felt like they moved faster and soon Dean and Castiel were driving back to the university. Mary packed some food with them and made them promise to come back in a couple weeks for Dean's birthday. They promised and headed to school.


	21. Chapter 21

Dean unlocked the door to their room and was slightly worried that maybe they would find another roommate inside. When they entered, the bunk beds were gone and there were just two single beds. Dean let out a relieved breath.

"I guess it's just us now." Dean looked at Castiel with a smile. He was glad they wouldn't have to worry about another dick roommate.

Castiel felt good about it too. They both stood between the beds for a minute. Castiel didn't want to sleep where Rick had been, but he didn't want to tell Dean that either.

Dean could see the look of concern on Castiel's face. He could guess what it was about. "Well, I'll take this bed," he pointed to Rick's old bed before dropping his bags on it, "that one was yours to begin with anyway."

Castiel nodded and silently thanked Dean as he put his things down. He took out his new camera and turned it on. He could hear Dean unpacking so he turned before Dean could stop and lined up a picture of his face while he wasn't paying attention.

When the shutter sounded, Dean looked up, unaware that he had just had his picture taken. Castiel looked at the picture and smiled. Dean shook his head and continued to unpack.

They had almost gotten settled in when Charlie came bouncing into their room.

"What's up, bitches?" She smiled at their startled faces.

"Charlie, you scared me." Dean laughed as he went to hug her.

"I like surprising people." She hugged him and then turned to hug Castiel, who had followed Dean over to her. "How was your break?"

"Pretty good. Good Christmas and Cas here turned 20." Dean gave him a slap on the back.

"Right, happy birthday!" She smiled at Castiel. "You're not a teenager anymore. They grow up so fast." She looked at Dean and acted like she was getting choked up.

Castiel laughed and brought his camera up to take her picture. She stuck her tongue out as soon as he hit the button. He gave her a disapproving look but kept the picture on his camera.

"Sweet camera. Who gave you this?" She took it from Castiel to look it over.

"I did." Dean said as he took out his phone and started playing an app.

"Wow, these are expensive. Really went all out for a birthday gift, huh?" She handed it back to Castiel.

Dean shrugged. "It was a part of his Christmas gifts too."

Charlie nodded and waited until she knew Dean wasn't looking to sign to Castiel. _'So I take it you didn't tell him about your dream?'_

Castiel licked his lips and glanced at Dean. _'No. It never seemed like a good time.'_

She shook her head. _'You should tell him. He loves you.'_

 _'_ _You don't know that.'_

 _'_ _I think everyone knows that, except you.'_

Castiel sighed. _'I don't want to lose his friendship.'_

 _'_ _I don't think you will, Cas. You might be missing out on something even better.'_

Castiel wasn't able to answer as Dean put his phone away and looked at them. "What are you guys talking about?"

"Oh, Cas was just telling me about all the fun stuff you did on break." She lied like a champ.

"Oh yeah? I guess we did have some fun watching TV and playing in the snow." Dean laughed at the memory of them having a snowball fight.

Charlie laughed. "Aww, you guys played out in the snow?"

"Yeah, we probably looked like five year olds. It was fun."

"That's adorable." She looked between them and smiled as Dean's eyes almost sparkled from the memory. "You guys wanna go get food?"

They went to the food court that was practically empty and ate the first meal of the semester.

* * *

The first week went by quickly. Dean learned his new schedule and routes to class and was looking forward to this semester. Things were going to be better this time. He wasn't sure if they could've been any worse.

Their first weekend back, they had decided to walk about half a mile to a restaurant for a late night meal. It was a good meal and they were content on the walk back. They were close enough to the dorms again to see the students inside the windows, but far enough away that no one would see what was about to happen.

A few boys were hovering around the sidewalk heading towards the buildings doors. They hadn't thought about it since they were too busy talking to each other. They were close to crossing their path when they moved and blocked their way.

Dean stopped and looked at them. "Excuse us." He tried to move past them, holding Castiel's arm so he would move too.

One of the boys put a hand on Dean and moved him back. Castiel moved to stand behind Dean, not knowing what to expect.

"Are you Dean?" The boy that had moved Dean asked while looking both him and Castiel over critically.

"Who's asking?" The three boys that were blocking them looked a couple years older than him and seemed angry.

"I'll take that as a yes. We're friends of Rick." He crossed his arms and sneered at Dean.

Dean cursed internally and felt his fear skyrocket. Castiel grabbed his arm tightly. "Okay, I'm gonna assume you're not happy with me?"

The guy laughed. "That's an understatement. Our friend is in jail. His future is ruined because of you and that thing." He gestured at Castiel with a look of contempt.

Dean's fisted balled up as his fear turned into anger. "His name is Castiel, and your friend deserves to be in jail after what he did to him. My dad is the sheriff and he will become your worst nightmare if you do anything to us."

"Hiding behind your dad? Thought you could fight your own battles."

"Bring it on. You gonna avenge your dick friend and ruin your future too?" Dean loosened Castiel's grip on his arm and moved to stand fully in front of him.

"If your dad ever finds you."

All three of them moved together and soon Dean was on the ground taking kicks to the face and gut. He was just beginning to think how fucked he was when everything stopped. His hearing was made up mostly of the whooshing of his blood but he heard the three guys saying something.

Dean looked up and saw Castiel glaring at them with his wings fully extended. The look was one that even scared Dean. Castiel's wingspan was shocking to behold. He hardly let his wings open at all.

In a flash, Castiel had charged the leader of the group and knocked him to the ground. The other two ran at him and he spun around, using his wings to smack both of them at the same time. They both stumbled away and had to fight hard not to fall down.

Castiel had seen red when Dean hit the ground. Instinctual rage filled him and he targeted the group's leader again. He was coming at Castiel with a raised fist. Castiel kicked and landed it right in his stomach. He stumbled away coughing.

The other two came at him again and Castiel once again used his wings to smack them both, this time harder. They both fell with bloody mouths and noses. He knew they wouldn't get up to attack again.

He looked at the leader and still saw defiance in him. He raised a brow and waited for him to move. As he ran at him, Castiel got ready. When he got close enough, Castiel fell to his knees and slashed his wings sideways so they would cut him. His shirt ripped over his stomach and blood began soaking into the fabric.

Castiel looked up from his kneeling position. With one push he was on his feet and punched the guy in the nose, breaking it thoroughly.

"Fuck, let's go." The leader held his gushing nose and ran off with his friends close behind.

Castiel watched them leave and puffed his wings wide in victory and happiness. Adrenaline coursed through him and he felt his whole body shaking. He looked down at Dean and was met with an amazed expression.

Dean was far beyond speechless. He didn't think Castiel was even capable of fighting like that. Looking up at him in his current state made Dean realize how powerful a being he really was.

Castiel dropped his wings and fell to his knees in front of Dean. He helped him sit up properly. His face was starting to bruise and worry began to fill Castiel. He wasn't sure what exactly happened but he wanted to kill those guys once they'd touched Dean, and would have if they hadn't left.

Castiel cupped Dean's face and looked into his eyes. He had been scared but he wasn't going to lose Dean, or have him be hurt by someone else. Dean had a look of awe on his face and Castiel felt warmth in his chest. He pulled Dean's face close to his and kissed him hard.

Dean didn't think he could be shocked any more tonight, but the passionate kiss Castiel pulled him into definitely did that. Dean felt something go through him and he let his eyes close.

Before he could really kiss him back, Castiel pulled away and helped Dean stand. He put his arm around his shoulders and walked him back to the dorm.

They were quiet as they rode the elevator up to their floor. Castiel was starting to panic about what he'd done. Why would he kiss Dean like that? Was Dean freaking out about it? How badly was he hurt?

When they got back to their room, Castiel sat him down on his bed and quickly began looking over his injuries. Dean just stared at him with a mix of awe and confusion. He looked at Dean's face closely and determined that he didn't have any broken bones in his face and moved to look at his chest.

"Cas?" Dean finally got his voice back and had so many questions.

Castiel pushed up Dean's shirt and cringed at the bruises on his abdomen. He might have bruised or broken ribs. He touched them gently and Dean hissed in pain.

"Cas?" He asked a little louder. The angel wasn't looking him in the eye.

Castiel stood up to get Dean an icepack. Dean reached out a hand and grabbed his wrist. He stopped but didn't look at Dean.

"Castiel, look at me." Dean wasn't sure what was going through Castiel's mind and didn't want him to run off.

He turned to look at Dean slowly. He wasn't sure how he was going to react and hoped to avoid talking about anything right now.

"Come here." Dean tugged on Castiel's arm gently, wanting him to stay there and talk to him.

Castiel moved to stand in front of Dean again. He braced himself for whatever he was going to say.

Dean let go of Castiel's arm. "You kissed me."

Castiel nodded and looked down at the floor. Dean sounded confused, and Castiel felt that way too. He wasn't sure what got into him earlier.

"Why?" Dean had been shocked by it and now he was trying to figure out what brought this on.

Castiel looked Dean in the eye and felt a twinge of fear. Had Dean been angry about the kiss? Was he freaked out by it?

Dean could see the worried look on Castiel's face. "I'm not upset by it, Cas. I just want to know why."

 _'_ _I don't know. I guess all I can say is that I wanted to kiss you.'_ Castiel watched Dean's reaction to that. He seemed surprised.

"You wanted to?" Dean didn't understand that. Had he always wanted to kiss him or was it just a heat of the moment thing after the fight? "How long have you wanted to do that?"

Castiel swallowed as he tried to think of a time when he didn't want to. He hadn't always thought about it, but once he'd seen Dean and Lisa kissing he'd had an urge to do the same. He shook his head and shrugged.

"You don't know?"

 _'_ _It's been a couple years, Dean. I just wasn't always sure what it was exactly that I was wanting.'_

"A couple years?!" Dean couldn't believe he hadn't been aware of this.

 _'_ _I'm sorry. I didn't plan on ever doing anything, but after what happened I just felt like it was something I needed to do.'_

Dean let that sink in for a moment. Some of his angel studies lectures were coming back to him, he shook that knowledge away and just sighed. "Don't apologize. You didn't do anything wrong. I was just taken by surprise."

Castiel nodded. _'I'll get an icepack for your face.'_

Dean laughed. "Yeah, thanks." He groaned as he shifted to sit farther back on his bed. "When will I stop getting the shit beat out of me?"

 _'_ _You must just have one of those faces.'_ Castiel handed Dean the icepack with a smile.

"Gee, thanks." Dean took the offering and held it to his bruising face.

 _'_ _Do you want to call your dad?'_ Castiel sat on his bed and faced Dean.

"No, he doesn't need to get worked up about this. I don't think those guys will be bothering us anymore."

Castiel nodded. He certainly hoped not. He really didn't want to go through this semester with all the fear of the last one.

"By the way, you're pretty badass when you want to be, Cas." Dean smiled at the angel.

 _'_ _Thanks.'_ Castiel smiled and rubbed his slightly sore hand. Breaking that guy's nose left a slight mark.

"Seriously, how did you know how to fight like that? I've never seen you do anything like that. You've never hurt anyone or fought back when someone was hurting you. What changed?"

Castiel shrugged. _'This time they were hurting you.'_ He said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Dean felt a clench in his chest. "So, you don't care about defending yourself, but you'll defend me?"

 _'_ _Yes.'_

"You realize how screwed up that is, right?" Dean chuckled.

Castiel smiled. _'I'll fight for anyone I care about, Dean. When they were hurting you, something changed inside me. I had to stop them.'_

"You just don't care enough about yourself to fight for you?"

He sighed and rolled his eyes. _'I fought for years when I was alone. I had to practically kill to get one scrap of food or shelter. I got tired and decided that I would just let what needed to happen happen. Then you found me and I knew I wouldn't have to fight so much anymore.'_

"Sure you don't need to fight for survival, but if someone is attacking you, you have the right to fight back."

 _'_ _I know. I just don't want to.'_

In his angel studies course, Dean had learned that angels were typically very peaceful beings and weren't interested in conflict. He had never been sure about the truth to that until now.

"Okay, well," Dean put the icepack on his desk, "I'm gonna sleep. We can talk more tomorrow."

Castiel nodded in agreement. He stood to go get his pajamas and Dean stood beside him. He wondered if he'd have any dreams tonight after what happened, but he was glad that what he felt was at least out in the open.

Dean looked at Castiel and tried to figure out why he would want to be so close to Dean or kiss him. He hadn't thought about Castiel that way before, but he'd definitely felt something when Castiel kissed him. Maybe it was some freak adrenaline thing with him but he wasn't sure.

"Cas," Dean was standing close to him already and when the angel faced him, Dean couldn't find his voice to say what he wanted so he signed to him. _'I'm gonna try something. If you want me to stop or not do it at all, tell me.'_

Castiel wasn't sure what he meant but he nodded to him.

Dean suddenly felt nervous. He took a step closer to Castiel and looked into the blue of his eyes. He reached up with his right hand and gently held Castiel's chin, tilting his head up slightly for the small height difference between them.

Castiel had an idea of what Dean was going to do now, and his heart thumped loudly in his chest. He took a shaky breath as Dean carefully pulled his face a little closer.

Dean knew it was now or never. He leaned down and pressed his lips to Castiel's. His hand moved to hold Castiel's head as they kissed. A rush of pleasure went up his body and he curled his fingers into Castiel's hair.

His wings perked up and he pressed up into Dean to deepen their kiss. He reached out but was worried about hurting Dean so he let his hands rest on his waist loosely. Nothing had ever felt so good to him.

Dean felt Castiel kiss him back and he used his free hand to hold Castiel around his back. The angel moved closer happily and gripped Dean's shirt to keep him there. He huffed out a laugh in their kiss and then felt a stab of pain from his rib and nose.

"Ow," Dean pulled back with a small laugh. He took a few short breaths and looked at Castiel. He was smiling at him and asking if he was okay. "I'm fine, just sore."

Castiel let go of him and stepped back. _'You need to sleep.'_

"I know. I just don't want to."

Castiel smiled. _'Come on, we need to sleep.'_ Castiel led him to the closets and they both took out their pajamas and changed for sleep.

They went to their beds and both fell asleep quickly. Good dreams came to both of them.


	22. Chapter 22

When Dean woke up, he had forgotten for a moment that he had been injured last night. One attempt to sit up reminded him. He groaned in pain and let his arm rest over his face. He looked over at Castiel. The angel was sleeping with a wing draped over his body and hanging over the side of the bed while the other one was tucked in behind him.

Castiel must have sensed Dean watching him as he stirred slightly and opened his eyes. He smiled sleepily and burrowed his face deeper into his pillow. He wasn't ready to get up yet.

Dean laughed quietly as the angel fell back asleep quickly. He took a breath and carefully pushed himself up from his bed. His ribs protested a little bit but it wasn't as bad as he thought it would be. He left to use the bathroom and then came back to rest.

About twenty minutes later, Castiel got up and walked towards the door. _'I'm going to take a shower.'_

Dean nodded to him. Once he closed the door behind him, Dean took out his phone and texted Charlie.

 _I kissed Cas last night_

Dean waited a couple minutes with no response. He figured Charlie wasn't awake yet. That was proved wrong when there was frantic knocking on his door. He didn't have a chance to stand before Charlie busted into his room.

"I'm sorry, what?!" Charlie had her phone in her hand and was wearing purple pajamas. She paused when she saw Dean's bruised face. "What the hell happened to you?"

Dean sighed with a smile. "Good morning, Charlie."

He recounted the whole story for her as she sat on Castiel's bed and listened. It was the longest he'd ever seen Charlie silent.

"Who were those guys? You want me to take them down?" She couldn't believe someone like Rick had friends at all, let alone ones that would go so far to defend him.

Dean laughed. "No, I think Cas took pretty good care of them last night."

She nodded. "So, you and Cas…" she smiled at him.

"Yeah, I don't know what happened. I'd never really thought about it before, but I definitely felt something." Dean looked down at his hands. Kissing Castiel had felt amazing and Dean wondered why they hadn't done it before.

"I'm sure you did. It's pretty obvious that Cas is in love with you." Charlie stood and put her phone in her shirt pocket.

"What?"

"Oh come on, Dean. He's probably been in love with you for years."

"No he's not." If he had been, wouldn't he have noticed?

"You really never noticed?" She looked at him, hoping he was joking. "Didn't you wonder who Jo was talking about?"

Dean furrowed his brows. "She was talking about Cas?" Charlie raised her brows at him. "Is it really that obvious?"

She chuckled. "Yeah, it really is. I think you're literally the last one to know about it."

He sighed and dropped his head. "How long have you seen it?"

"You remember when we marathoned The Lord of the Rings the first time?"

"The day after Jo dumped me, yeah." Dean looked up at her as she shrugged. "That long?"

"I suspected it before, but that was when I knew for sure."

"What do I do?"

Charlie shook her head. "I can't tell you what to do. It's up to you."

"No, I mean, I'm his owner. Legally I own him. It's just weird for me to do anything with Cas when I'm in that position." He didn't want to live the owner stereotype.

Charlie moved to sit beside him. "Do you think of Cas as a possession? Is he a toy for you, or a pet?"

"Of course not!"

"Does Cas think of you as someone that owns him? Does he feel like he has to do what you say or want just because you own him?"

Dean shrugged. "No, I don't think so."

Charlie patted his knee. "Then you have nothing to worry about. You're not taking advantage of him or your position. Legal issues can be resolved."

"Thanks, Charlie."

She stood and was on her way out when Castiel entered the room. She smiled and signed to him as they passed each other.

 _'_ _I'll text you later.'_

Castiel was confused and turned to Dean when Charlie was gone. _'What was she doing here?'_

"Just stopping by for a chat." Dean stood and took a couple steps closer to Castiel.

 _'_ _Okay.'_ Castiel figured they were talking about what happened last night so he let it go. He was wanting to talk to Dean about that as well, but he wasn't sure if Dean did.

Dean went to his closet to change. He thought about what he wanted to say while he did so. He felt like something had to be said but he didn't know where to start.

He moved to stand by his desk and watched Castiel briefly. The angel was combing his fingers through some of his feathers that had been messed up by his shower. Dean had an urge to help but had never touched his wings before.

"Cas, can I ask you a question?" Castiel turned to look at him and nodded while he continued fixing his feathers. "Do you think of me as just someone who owns you that you have to obey?"

Castiel stopped grooming his wings and looked at Dean. _'What? No, of course not.'_ He didn't know where this was coming from.

Dean nodded. His throat tightened slightly as he started his next sentence. "How long have you had feelings for me?"

Castiel felt his eyes widen slightly. He could guess who'd told him about that. _'Charlie told you?'_ Dean kept a neutral face. _'About what I told her and the dreams?'_

"Why didn't I notice?" Dean shook his head and smiled.

 _'_ _You just didn't want to see it.'_

He tilted his head and moved a little closer to Castiel. "What dreams are you talking about?"

Castiel closed his eyes. _'She didn't tell you about that?'_

Dean laughed. "No, she never mentioned any dreams."

Castiel felt his face get red. _'It wasn't a big deal. I just had a dream about you over the winter break.'_

"What kind of dream?" Dean couldn't believe that Castiel was blushing. He'd never seen him do that before.

He shrugged. _'A good dream.'_

"Oh, a really good dream?" Dean smiled at the idea of Castiel having a sex dream about him.

 _'_ _Not that good, Dean. It was just about you kissing me.'_ Castiel looked down at his feet. He never thought he'd be telling Dean about that.

Dean smiled. "You have those a lot?"

 _'_ _That was the first one. I don't have them often.'_ At least he didn't before. Now he wondered if he'd be having them more often.

Dean was surprised to learn about that. After everything Castiel had been through, he never thought he'd want or think about something intimate with another person.

 _'_ _Well, you know how I feel. What about you? How do you feel about this, about us?'_ Castiel was nervous to ask since Dean wasn't one to want to talk about his feelings too much, but he needed to know.

Dean had expected the question but was still unsure of the answer. "I care about you, Cas. You're a part of the family, you always have been." He thought of how best to describe what he was feeling and was having a hard time. "I feel comfortable around you and I want you to be happy."

 _'_ _And if you make me happy?'_ Castiel looked at him with a sparkle in his eye.

He huffed out a laugh. "I guess I need to give you whatever makes you happy, huh?" Castiel shrugged. "Do you want me to kiss you?" Dean leaned down slightly, bringing their faces close together.

Castiel's breath hitched slightly and he tilted his face closer to Dean and nodded. Dean closed the space between them and kissed Castiel. He kissed him back and wrapped his arms around Dean's neck.

Dean put his arms around Castiel and kissed him harder. He ignored the twinge of pain in his face and pressed himself against Castiel.

They kissed for a minute before Dean finally had to pull away. His bruises on his face were hurting too much. Castiel nuzzled his face slightly before stepping back.

"You know, I never thought you would be okay with anything like this after what you went through before."

Castiel was confused. _'Okay with what? You mean kissing?'_

Dean nodded. "Yeah, any type of intimate activity. It would be understandable."

 _'_ _I guess. I don't have an issue with kissing, Dean. You're the only person I've ever kissed.'_

"Really? I just assumed your last owner…" Dean shook his head.

 _'_ _He never kissed me. None of them ever did anything that intimate. That wasn't what they wanted from me.'_ Castiel shrugged.

"Oh, I see." Dean frowned in thought. "So, I'm your first kiss?"

Castiel smiled and nodded. _'My first, yes. My only one.'_

Dean felt a sense of pride at that. His face grew warm and red. "Well, hopefully I don't mess that up."

 _'_ _I don't think you will.'_ Castiel smiled at him again.

Dean laughed. "Good."

* * *

Later that day, Dean was sitting in one of the restaurants on campus and was waiting for someone to meet him. He had texted them earlier and asked to talk.

"Hey, Dean."

Dean turned and stood as Jo walked to the table. She frowned when she saw his face. He had told her briefly what had happened, but not everything.

"God, your face. You just can't catch a break can you?" She sat at the table with him.

"No, apparently not."

"Is Castiel okay?"

Dean nodded. "Yeah, he's fine. They never even touched him."

"Good."

They ate in silence for a moment before Dean spoke again. "So, the reason I wanted to talk to you was that after Cas beat up those guys, he kissed me."

Jo's eyes widened briefly. "He did?" Dean nodded. She sighed. "Finally."

Dean chuckled. "That's how Charlie felt about it too. It took me by surprise."

"Really?" She raised a brow at him.

"Yeah, obviously I'm completely clueless." He shook his head. "I just wanted to let you know that I understand now, why you left. I didn't realize the extent of my feelings until then. I'm sorry that you were in that position, Jo. You deserved better."

"Thanks, Dean. It wasn't all bad. I know you cared about me, it just wasn't the same. I like you and Cas. I miss you guys."

"We miss you too. Now that I finally get it, maybe we can all be friends again? I wouldn't want you spending all your time alone."

Jo smiled. "Well, I'm not alone. I have a boyfriend, actually."

"You do?" She nodded. "That's great."

"Yeah, we started dating right before the break."

"I'm happy for you. You deserve to be happy."

They chatted while they finished their meals and then parted ways to their dorms. Dean felt a lot better knowing that he and Jo were in a good place and that she was seeing someone.


	23. Chapter 23

AN: First off I want to say thank you to everyone that has read this and left comments for me. I've now reached the last chapter that I'd had written out for a while. The next update will be a little slower in coming. I've moved a couple times recently, changed job places, and been busy babysitting my nephew so I've been extremely busy. Also this month has been very rough for me. I've had a couple deaths in the family over the last 3 weeks and last week I was assaulted so It's been almost impossible to keep myself motivated to do anything more than get out of bed. I'm working on the next chapter and will post it as soon as I'm able to. Thank you

* * *

Over the next week, Dean had expected things to change a lot between him and Castiel, but not much did. There was one difference and it was that Castiel _really_ enjoyed kissing Dean. It was becoming difficult for Dean to get much done when he was in their room. He never thought he would complain about making out with someone, but he was starting to feel like he might. He called Charlie to talk about it.

"It's not that I don't enjoy it too, but I can't get my homework done." Dean had waited for Castiel to take a shower so he could talk to her.

Charlie laughed. "I can't believe you're whining about Cas kissing you too much."

"I know. I just don't know what to do. I don't really want him to stop, but we can't keep doing this either. What should I do?"

"I think its funny how you two always come to me when you need help with your relationship. I didn't realize I was the shining example of relationships."

Dean chuckled. "Who else am I gonna ask? Talking to Jo about this would seem weird and you always give very frank and straightforward advice."

Charlie sighed. "Okay, well I think you should just talk to Cas about it. I'm sure he'd understand. Set up some guidelines or rules for him about how often he can kiss you."

Dean cringed. "That sounds kinda mean, or owner like. I don't want to make him feel like he's not free to do what he wants."

"What he wants is to make out with you, all the time. If you can't handle that, let him know. You always respect his boundaries, so let him know about yours."

"Okay, I guess it wouldn't hurt to try. Thanks."

"No problem. Let me know how it goes."

"I will." Dean hung up and put his phone on his desk. He knew she was probably right but he hoped Castiel would take it okay.

Later that night, Dean decided to bring it up with Castiel. He was sitting on his bed while Dean was at his desk. He turned to face Castiel and took a deep breath to calm himself.

"Cas, can I talk to you for a minute?"

Castiel looked up from his phone and nodded. He turned to face Dean as he put his phone down.

Dean cleared his throat. "I wanted to talk to you about um…" He had no idea how to phrase this without sounding mean. "About us and about how often we kiss." Castiel furrowed his brows, so Dean continued. "Not that I want to stop, but its starting to interfere with my schoolwork."

 _'_ _What are you asking exactly?'_

"That maybe we dial back the make out sessions?" He chuckled uncomfortably. He never thought he'd utter those words and Castiel seemed confused.

 _'_ _So, you don't want me to kiss you so much?'_

"No, it's not that. I just need to be able to concentrate when I'm working my assignments, and I can't do that if you kiss me most of the time that I'm in the room." He sighed. "It's me too. Sometimes I should be working and I choose to do something else with you. We just need to compromise on something that works for both of us."

Castiel frowned. _'I didn't realize I was causing an issue, Dean. I'm sorry.'_

"Don't apologize. We can both do something different from now on."

He nodded. _'What do you suggest?'_

Dean shrugged. He didn't know what would be helpful or acceptable. "I guess we could start with only three kisses in the morning before my first class."

 _'_ _Three?'_ Castiel raised his brows in surprise.

Dean laughed. "Yes, just three."

Castiel pouted slightly but nodded. _'Fine, what else?'_

"Uh, between classes I don't think it matters so whatever you want. Unless I have to work on an assignment for a class that same day, then just one."

Castiel squinted his eyes as he thought of all the days Dean usually had to finish homework between classes, but waved an agreement with the number.

"When I'm done with classes, we can do one kiss an hour until I'm done with my work. Once I'm done, it's open. Is that okay?" Dean hoped Castiel didn't feel insulted by all this.

Castiel thought over it briefly before nodding in agreement. _'Just one question. Are those numbers for us individually or total?'_

Dean smiled. "Total. I'm limited too, it doesn't matter who initiates it."

 _'_ _Does that start immediately?'_

"Probably should." They should start getting used to it, he thought.

Castiel nodded and checked the time on his phone. It was twenty after eight. He smiled and looked at Dean with a sparkle in his eye. _'Okay.'_

Dean relaxed as the angel seemed to easily accept the agreement. He tensed up slightly when Castiel stood and moved close to Dean and cupped his face. "Cas…" He was silenced when the angel bent down and kissed him.

His heart skipped a beat and his body grew warm as the angel deepened the kiss and held his head in place. Dean shifted in his chair and tried to reach up to Castiel, but could only grab his arms. He moaned slightly as he gently nipped his bottom lip and then broke the kiss.

When Dean opened his eyes, he saw that Castiel's wings were partially opened and blocking the light from his lamp. He marveled at the sight of Castiel and the light seeming to glow behind him as he dropped his hands and straightened his back. He wondered how anyone could see these creatures and not find them beautiful.

Castiel pulled his wings back in behind him and smiled at Dean's wide eyes and open mouth. _'That was the one for this hour.'_

Dean huffed out a laugh. He wanted nothing more than to stand up and kiss Castiel again, and the angel knew it. This was gonna be hard.

Castiel sat back on his bed while Dean finished his work.

* * *

The next morning, Dean was getting dressed when Castiel surprised him again with a kiss. Dean laughed into it while Castiel kissed him hard. He put an arm around him briefly and nuzzled Castiel's face. "That's one."

Castiel nodded and leaned forward like he meant to kiss him again but walked away before he did.

He was pulling his bag up from the floor on his way to leave and Castiel put a hand on his arm. Dean stopped and turned to face him.

Castiel kissed him, no more than a peck. _'That's two.'_

Dean hoisted the bag onto his shoulder with a smile. "I'm leaving so, you want one more before I go?"

Castiel crossed his arms like he needed to think about it. It didn't seem like he was going to do anything so Dean grabbed the door handle. Castiel moved forward and took Dean's shirt in his hands and pulled him in for a rough kiss.

Dean's bag fell off as Castiel flipped him around and pushed him into the wall with a thud. His stomach flipped as Castiel pressed into him while they kissed. Castiel had never done that before. Dean moved his hands up to hold Castiel's shoulders and returned his kiss with all he had.

Much too soon, Castiel broke the kiss and leaned his forehead against Dean's. They both stayed there a moment to catch their breath. Dean's breath was shaky and he really wanted to kiss him again. When he leaned in to do so, Castiel pulled his head back.

 _'_ _That was three, Dean.'_ Castiel was smiling as he saw how much Dean was affected by the kiss.

Dean sighed and let his head fall back against the wall. "I know." He chuckled and shook his head. Castiel remained close with a hand on either side of Dean. "Come on, Cas. No need to make it harder for me."

Castiel smiled wider and stepped back to give him some space. Dean picked up his bag and opened the door.

"I'll be back in a couple hours."

Castiel waved goodbye and closed the door once he left.

They both kept to their compromise for the rest of the day and they felt like it would work once they got used to it, as long as Castiel stopped being overly enticing with his kisses anyway. Dean found it hard to stop when he would do something different or more aggressive than usual.

* * *

Eventually, they fell into a routine again. It was just a couple weeks later when they were heading home for Dean's birthday. They had a talk about what they would do once they were home while they were in the car.

"So, we should probably not tell anyone about this yet. I'm not sure how they'll react and I don't want to cause any trouble." Dean didn't think they'd have a problem with it per say, but he also wasn't sure what to expect and that worried him.

Castiel agreed but felt a little sad about having to watch how he acted around the family. _'Okay. That sounds like a good idea.'_

"Maybe after a couple months we can tell everyone, like over Spring Break. I just don't want to drop a bomb and then leave immediately." Dean hoped maybe they would figure out what exactly they were by then too. He wasn't quite sure what to label them.

 _'_ _Are you going to tell your parents about what happened with Rick's friends?'_

Dean had avoided it so far and had forgotten about telling them once he and Castiel were involved. His dad would be angry, but he couldn't do anything about it now.

 _'_ _I feel like they would want to know about it.'_

"Yeah," Dean squeezed the steering wheel briefly as he looked forward again, "they probably would. I'll tell them. My dad will probably hug you for kicking their asses." Dean laughed at the memory.

 _'_ _I doubt that.'_ Castiel hadn't seen John hug anyone more than a handful of times over the past three years.

Dean pulled up to the house a few minutes later. He and Castiel met the family at the door. Mary greeted them with hugs and kisses on the cheek. They went out to eat that night as a family and Dean talked about his classes and friends. He held off on telling them about the incident yet.

After dinner, they went home and Dean was given his gifts. Castiel took pictures and agreed to send Mary copies of them. It was so late after that that Dean decided to wait until the next day to tell them about what happened.

He and Castiel got ready for bed. Castiel hadn't found it hard yet to act differently around the family. They didn't usually display much PDA anyway so it wasn't as bad as he thought it might be.

Dean was pulling his covers down when he noticed that Castiel seemed to be lost deep in thought. He smiled and turned to face the angel.

"Cas, you okay?"

Castiel snapped out of his thoughts and smiled. _'I'm fine. I was just thinking.'_

"About what?"

 _'_ _Us having to act differently while we're here. It hasn't been difficult yet, but I'm afraid I'll slip up and do something to out us.'_ He hadn't realized he was worried about that until he told Dean, but he was.

Dean moved a little closer to Castiel. "Well, don't worry too much about that. Them finding out wouldn't be the worst thing that could happen."

Castiel was skeptical about that. _'You wouldn't be upset at all?'_

Dean shook his head. "No, we're gonna tell them anyway. But I don't think you'll do anything that would cause that. You're too aware of everyone else in a room to slip up."

Castiel shrugged. _'Maybe, but I can't guarantee that.'_

"What?" Dean chuckled.

 _'_ _I might forget for a moment. It's easy to do around you.'_ Castiel smiled and moved in close to Dean. His wings flared up briefly as he leaned his head closer to Dean.

"Oh yeah?" Dean smiled and brushed Castiel's cheek with nose.

Castiel nodded and turned his head to line up his mouth with Dean's and pushed up to kiss him. It was the first time they'd kissed since coming home. Castiel put his hands on Dean's shoulders, pressing into him more.

Dean hummed into the kiss and wrapped his arms around Castiel's waist. They kissed for a few moments before Castiel pulled back enough to sign to Dean.

 _'_ _Are our limits still in effect here?'_ He smirked at Dean, guessing the answer.

Dean chuckled. "No, you can kiss me as many times as you want, Cas."

 _'_ _Good.'_ Castiel smiled and pulled Dean close to kiss him again.

Dean squeezed Castiel even closer and kissed him harder. The angel curled his fingers into Dean's hair, sending a shiver down his spine. Dean swiped his tongue along Castiel's upper lip briefly.

Castiel parted his lips and Dean took advantage and licked his way into Castiel's mouth. Pleasure shot through Castiel and he put his arms around Dean's neck and pressed into him as much as was possible.

Dean made an approving noise and moved his tongue along Castiel's, keeping a firm hold on his waist while the angel dug his fingers into Dean's hair.

They kissed for a minute and then had to break apart for air. Their noses were touching as they gasped for breath. Castiel continued pressing short kisses to Dean's lips as they tried to catch their breath.

Castiel held Dean's shoulders and kissed him again, slowly walking him back until his knees hit his bed.

Dean stopped and glanced at the bed behind him. His heart was thudding in his chest rapidly. He soon found himself sitting on the edge of the mattress as Castiel pushed his shoulders down.

Castiel's wings expanded briefly as he leaned down to kiss Dean. He cupped his face and made sure to nip Dean's lip slightly before breaking the kiss.

Dean's breath was shaky as Castiel moved his hands from his face to his shoulders. He inched back on the mattress a little bit as Castiel raised his knee and climbed up to straddle Dean's lap.

"Cas, what…" Dean was cut off by another deep kiss from the angel. He wrapped his arms around Castiel's back to keep him steady.

As he adjusted himself on Dean's lap, he could feel Dean gasp and tense under him. He pulled back and looked at Dean to make sure this was okay. He felt his wings pull in as doubt crept in.

Dean could see that Castiel was nervous so Dean brought a hand up and gently held the back of his neck, guiding his face closer. He whispered when they were close enough to touch noses, "It's okay, Cas. I don't want you to stop."

Castiel smiled and closed the small gap between them in a kiss. His body was warm and felt so good that he never wanted to stop what he was doing. He put his arms around Dean's neck and pressed against him as much as possible.

Dean moaned and felt pleasure rise through his body. He ran his hands up Castiel's back and held his shoulders. His wings lifted up so Dean wouldn't touch them on accident.

They kissed for a few moments before breaking again for air. They both smiled and laughed as they held each other close. Castiel shifted on Dean's lap slightly, sending a hot flare of desire through him and making him gasp.

"Careful, Cas." Dean grabbed his hips. He looked up at the angel and found it harder to breathe.

Castiel could tell how much Dean was affected by him straddling him and smirked. He put his hands on Dean's shoulders and lifted himself up to shift more onto Dean's lap.

A noise came from Dean's throat he hadn't heard before and he had to put his hands on the mattress to keep himself from falling onto his back. His breathing was shaky as Castiel leaned forward and kissed him again. In his current position he couldn't do anything but kiss back until Castiel leaned away.

 _'_ _Happy Birthday, Dean.'_ Castiel smiled and carefully stood up.

Dean chuckled and shook his head. "Thanks, Cas." He sat up straight and quickly pulled his sheet over his lap to hide the fact that he had been very _excited_ about the position Castiel had just been in.

Castiel sat on his mattress and looked at Dean. _'Are you going to tell your parents about what Rick's friends did tomorrow?'_

He sighed, "Yeah, probably. If I wait much longer, they'll probably be angrier about it."

 _'_ _Goodnight, Dean.'_

"Goodnight, Cas." Dean turned off his lamp and they both soon fell asleep.

* * *

The next day, Dean told his parents about what had happened to him and Castiel. John was furious and didn't understand why Dean hadn't told him about it when it happened.

"There wasn't a lot you could do since we don't know who they were. Plus, Cas did a good job taking care of them himself."

Castiel looked at the floor to hide his smile. John looked at him. "Thank god he was there to help." Castiel looked at him. "Thank you for protecting my son, Castiel."

He felt a little self conscious after the compliment but nodded in thanks to John.

Mary smiled at the angel. "Yes, Cas, thank you. I'm so glad you're there and you can both look after each other."

Dean and Castiel shared a look and smile. "We try, mom."

They all quickly moved on and went about their day. Dean was helping his mom get lunch ready later that day and he was signing to Castiel from the kitchen to the living room.

Sam was sitting in the living room working on homework when he noticed Castiel signing animatedly. He looked up and saw Dean smiling and signing back. Sam smiled to himself and shook his head. He was glad that they had learned another way to communicate.

Dean had gotten so engrossed in his conversation with Castiel that he forgot what he was doing with Mary. She had to get his attention a couple times so nothing would burn.

Sam laughed from the living room. You would think that Dean and Castiel didn't spend every day together from how badly they seemed to need to keep talking to each other.

Dean left the kitchen when his part in lunch was done. He sat by Castiel and continued signing to him until he got up to use the bathroom.

Sam looked up from his notebook to talk to Dean once Castiel was out of the room. "So, you two seem to be getting along pretty well still."

Dean shrugged. "Yeah, why wouldn't we be?"

"I just thought you'd get sick of each other eventually since you spend all your free time together." Sam imagined that's how he'd feel if he spent that much time with his brother.

Dean shook his head. "No, that hasn't happened." He smiled when he thought of what they did in their spare time that the family didn't know about.

"Good. Considering how much you've both done for each other, I would hope you'd always get along and be close."

Dean nodded. He had given Sam a brief description of what he'd told their parents that morning. "Hopefully so. I don't see much changing anytime soon."

Sam shuffled his papers and leaned forward on the couch. "Given the way Castiel fought for you, I don't think he's going anywhere. That was typical behavior for an angel that's protecting their mate."

Dean stared at Sam briefly, mouth open slightly. He didn't snap out of the look until Sam looked at him. "Really? Well, you know I've taken a couple angel studies courses, Sam." Dean had stumbled over that sentence but he hoped it wasn't obvious how flustered he was suddenly.

"Right, then you know what I'm talking about." Sam smiled when Dean realized he'd fallen right into his trap.

Dean huffed and tried to act casual. "That's not what was going on. I was getting my ass handed to me and Cas helped."

"Sure, of course he did. He's just never gotten into any kind of fight with anyone before and then beats the crap out of three guys by himself without getting a scratch. I'm sure he would do that for anyone." Sam smiled and then picked up his book again as Castiel entered the room.

Dean was still looking at Sam when Castiel sat beside him on the couch. He must've had a strange look on his face because Castiel tapped his arm and asked him if he was okay. Dean told him he was fine.


	24. Chapter 24

A/N: So first I want to thank everyone that has left comments recently. They've been very nice and I really appreciate them all. It's helped me a lot recently. I haven't had a lot of time or energy to write recently but today I got the urge and finally finished this chapter. It's shorter than I usually like, but I needed to get this out. My updates will probably still be slow in coming as I'm now full-time at work and don't have a lot of free time anymore, but I will not be abandoning this story. Thank you all for reading!

* * *

Dean cursed Sam and his big mouth throughout that Saturday. All he could do was think about what he said and what he'd learned in class about angels and mates. It was true that many of the behaviors Castiel displayed were indicative of an angel with their mate, and he knew that angels mate for life, but he didn't think that was what was happening. It couldn't be, right?

He was interrupted from his thoughts when Castiel sat across from him with a worried expression. He had already asked Dean a couple times if he was feeling okay. Dean smiled at him and leaned back against the couch. Castiel still looked worried.

 _'_ _Don't worry about me, Cas.'_ Dean looked at his hands and tried to keep his expression neutral.

Castiel knew something was bothering Dean but he had no idea what it could be. If it was anything serious, he's sure Dean would've said something. He left him alone and did some sketching while Dean watched television.

It wasn't until later that night that they really spoke to each other again. Castiel was changing for bed and Dean was standing by his bed and watching him. He had taken off his shirt and Dean was appreciating his wings as Castiel stretched them out and ran his fingers through them carefully.

Dean licked his lips and cleared his throat. "Cas, can I ask you something?"

Castiel turned to face him and nodded.

"Can I…uh, would you be alright if I…," Dean stopped and ran a hand over his forehead. He didn't know why this was so hard to ask.

 _'_ _What is it, Dean?'_ Castiel got a little closer, worried about how Dean had been acting all day.

"Would it be alright if I touch your wings, Cas?" Dean's heart was thudding loudly in his chest. He knew that wasn't something Castiel would allow lightly.

Castiel's eyes widened slightly. He hadn't expected that. Usually that was something only allowed by those very close to angels. He had thought about Dean doing just that though, many times.

He could see hesitation in Castiel's face and shook his head. "It's okay if you don't feel comfortable with it. I don't know why I even asked after all that's happened to you and…"

Castiel silenced him by pushing up and pressing a kiss to Dean's lips. As Castiel pulled away, Dean chased his lips briefly with his own.

"Is that a yes?" Dean smiled.

Castiel laughed and nodded. _'Just be careful. I don't want you to hurt yourself.'_

"Of course." Dean couldn't believe that Castiel agreed. He licked his lips and fidgeted with his hands nervously. He wasn't even sure how to approach this.

Castiel could tell Dean was lost so he moved closer and took Dean's right hand. He locked eyes with Dean as h slowly guided his hand to his left wing.

His fingers lightly brushed Castiel's wing when the angel moved it forward to meet his hand. The feathers were softer than he imagined. They still had a rough feeling that warned of the sharp edges they had if rubbed the wrong way.

Castiel released Dean's hand once he felt he was comfortable. He studied Dean's face as he carefully raked his fingers through his feathers. A slight feeling of pleasure coursed through him from the attention and a small smile pulled at his lips.

Dean took a step closer as he let his hand sink a little deeper into the wing. It was so different than the first time he'd seen Castiel and touched his wing. Although that time had been to help Missouri fix it so he didn't really feel it much. His feathers had all grown back and were cleaner than they had been while he was alone. He followed the ashy colored feathers down and was careful not to pull on any.

Castiel's eyes closed as Dean grew more confident with his touches. Pleasure was spiking through him even more. His wing twitched involuntarily when the back of Dean's hand brushed the bone at the top of his wing. Heat shot through Castiel's spine at the touch.

"Sorry!" Dean pulled his hand back, eyes wide worried that he'd hurt him.

Castiel grabbed his arm and shook his head. _'It's okay. It didn't hurt.'_

"It didn't?" Dean let out a sigh of relief as Castiel nodded.

They were still a moment as Dean considered whether or not he could or should continue. He wanted to, but he could tell it was affecting Castiel and didn't want to overstep.

Castiel could see Dean thinking and wondered if he would stop now. He wasn't sure if he wanted him to or not. He'd never really had anyone groom or appreciate his wings since leaving his parents, and this was different.

"I guess I should get ready for bed." Dean rubbed his fingers together, still feeling the wing against his fingers like he hadn't stopped.

Castiel nodded and looked down at his hands. He felt a slight pain of disappointment. He'd hoped Dean would ask to keep exploring his wings but it seemed the spell was broken. He pulled his wings in behind his back as Dean walked around him to change.

As Dean took of his shirt, he furrowed his brows as Castiel's seemingly sad expression. Had he wanted more from Dean? Was he too afraid to ask? He shook the thoughts away and put his pajamas on.

When Dean walked by him to get in bed, Castiel gently grabbed his elbow. Dean turned to face him with a question in his eyes.

Castiel wanted to say something, ask for something, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. Dean titled his head, reading as much on his face. Castiel smiled and pulled him in for a brief kiss. He knew there'd be plenty of time later for more of what he wanted.

Dean smiled into the sweet kiss and brought his free hand up to cup Castiel's face. Their noses brushed as they broke the kiss. Castiel nuzzled into Dean's neck quickly before pulling back and lifting his hands to sign.

 _'_ _Goodnight.'_

"'Night, Cas."

They both get into their beds and slept soundly.

Sunday they were going to be heading back to school and Dean didn't really want to. School meant responsibilities and homework and judgey people. Of course, here he had to deal with Sam and his stupid grin whenever he and Castiel were around. He rolled his eyes when Sam did that over breakfast and flung some scrambled eggs at him when their mom looked away.

It was around 1pm when Mary was helping Dean pack up a couple of his gifts and leftovers. Everyone hugged the both of them and watched them pull away in the Impala. They had only been in the car a few minutes when Castiel signed to Dean while at a stop sign.

 _'_ _Dean, I want to tell you something.'_

"Okay." Dean glanced through the intersection and didn't see any cars in the foreseeable distance and kept his foot on the brake pedal. "Shoot." He turned to give him his full attention.

 _'_ _It's about what happened last night. I just want you to know that you can do that any time you want. I mean you should probably warn me first, but you can touch my wings whenever you want to.'_ He dropped his hands to let Dean know that was all he wanted to say.

Dean took a couple breaths. He wasn't sure he understood that correctly. Castiel would let him do that whenever he wanted? He knew how huge that had to be for the angel. After the abuse and pain he'd been through, to trust someone else with an extremely precious contact like that was major.

He opened his mouth to respond when a car behind him honked a couple times. Dean jumped and glared into his rear view mirror. He glanced at the intersection and drove through. It was a couple minutes later when he was able to say something.

"Really?" He saw Castiel's head turn to him out of the corner of his eye. "That's okay?" He chanced a look and saw Castiel nod and smile. There was a sparkle in his eyes as well that warmed Dean's chest. He looked forward again with a lopsided grin.

He turned up his music and sang along for the rest of the drive. Castiel just laughed and swayed to the music.

They managed to get everything up to their room in one trip. Dean plopped onto his desk chair with a sigh as Castiel pulled his dirty clothes out of his bag for the laundry. Dean had homework to finish for Monday and really didn't want to do it.

Castiel came up behind Dean and wrapped his arms around his shoulders and leaned his chin on Dean's shoulder. He turned his head to press a kiss to the spot right behind his ear.

Dean shivered and closed his eyes. He grew warm as Castiel pressed another kiss to the shell of his ear, grazing his teeth across it lightly. He shuddered and leaned into the kiss.

"Cas…" Dean brought a hand up to tangle in Castiel's hair. He really didn't want him to stop, but he needed to do his work.

Reluctantly, Dean pulled his head away. "I have homework to finish. Don't forget our rules."

He felt the burst of warm breath as Castiel sighed against his neck. His body shook again at the feeling. Castiel brought his hands up in front of Dean and signed as he leaned over the back of him.

 _'_ _You never said anything about weekends.'_

Dean chuckled. "I didn't, but I still need to finish my work anyway."

Castiel pulled his arms back and made to stand, but he brushed his lips against Dean's neck before standing.

The spot burned as Dean moved his chair forward. He hoped this wouldn't take long.

Dean hadn't quite finished everything when Charlie and Jo barged into their room with birthday hats and horns they were already blowing. Both Dean and Castiel had jumped at their entrance but soon laughed as they both gave them a hat to wear.

They spent the rest of the day eating a cake the girls had bought and drinking Charlie's "soda." Dean couldn't be mad about missing out on kissing Castiel as his friends surrounded him and all played a couple games of Cards Against Humanity.

It was close to 10pm when they left and Dean gave up on the remaining homework. He walked over to Castiel, only slightly drunk, and grabbed the front of his shirt.

"Come here." Dean pulled him close and kissed him. He hooked one arm around his shoulders and kept his hand wrapped in his shirt.

Castiel raised his eyebrows but kissed back. He grabbed Dean's waist, fingers slipping under his shirt enough to feel his warm skin. Dean made a small noise into the kiss and moved closer.

Dean felt the fingers on his sides and it sparked something inside that made him pull on Castiel's shirt again, although they really couldn't get any closer. He moved his hand up his neck and into his hair. His fingers curled and pulled the dark hair. Castiel nipped at his lower lip in response and Dean smiled.

They kissed for what felt like hours, but was just a few minutes. Tongues moved together and hands explored and grabbed. Eventually they broke apart and Dean stumbled back slightly. Alcohol was making him a little fuzzy.

Castiel walked him to his bed and helped him sit and take off his shoes. As Dean laid down, he grabbed Castiel and pulled him down next to him. The angel shifted so his wings would lay out over the edge of the bed and he was facing Dean.

Dean put an arm around his waist and pulled him so he was flush against him. They stayed there a moment just breathing together and touching. Castiel brought his hand up to play through Dean's hair, making him close his eyes in appreciation.

He was still long enough that Castiel thought he had fallen asleep, but then he tilted his face up and kissed Castiel. It was a deep slow kiss that warmed Castiel down to his toes. He could taste a hint of the alcohol Dean was drunk on as they kissed and hugged each other closer.

"I'm so glad you're here, Cas." Dean spoke between kisses. He could tell he was close to falling asleep by the sound of his voice. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

Dean kissed him again as the words hit Castiel in the chest. He'd never heard those words directed at him before. No one had ever seemed to truly appreciate his presence before. He kissed Dean and held him as he snuggled into him and fell asleep.

He could just barely reach the lamp from the bed and turned off the light. The alcohol was making him tired as well and he could definitely sleep well wrapped in Dean's arms.


	25. Chapter 25

A/N: Short update. I've been getting back in the groove of writing again yay!

* * *

A few weeks later...

"Although most angels have wings large enough to seem like flight is possible, it is very rare for them to have the strength to actually carry an angel off the ground. Believe me, I've seen several of my friends try and fail hilariously."

A wave of laughter went through the class as Balthazar finished his lecture. It was Dean's final day of classes before Spring Break started. He was leaning back in his seat and chewing on his pen, his mind far away. He knew what he'd planned to do over the break and was quickly growing nervous about it. His attention focused back on the present when the other students began shifting in their seats.

"I see no reason to make you all suffer through your break with any sort of assignment so just enjoy yourselves and be ready to work when you all return."

Balthazar was releasing them from class early. Dean smiled and gathered his things as the room emptied. He had made it down the steps of the lecture hall when he heard the professor call his name.

Dean stopped and turned to the angel. "Yes, Professor?"

"I'd like to speak with you if you have a moment?" Balthazar leaned against his desk.

"Sure." Dean let his bag slip off his shoulder and rest on the floor.

Balthazar paused, considering his words before he spoke, "Have you thought about majoring in Angel Studies, or adding it as a minor? I'm not sure what your major is now, but considering that you're one of the highest grades in any of my classes, I'd say you'd do well."

Dean was speechless. He had thought about it in all honesty, but he never considered that Balthazar would think the same.

"It's just something you should think about." Balthazar could see Dean's surprise and smiled as he seemed to think it over.

"I will. I have considered it, but I don't know yet." Dean wasn't sure what he really wanted to do after school as it was, but maybe this would lead him somewhere.

The angel nodded. "Fair enough." There was a pause and Dean was about to pick up his bag again when Balthazar spoke. "How are you and Castiel? Any problems with anyone?"

Dean smiled as he shook his head. "Not recently. We're both doing good."

Balthazar nodded and seemed genuinely relieved. "That's good. Enjoy your break."

"You too." Dean picked up his bag and left the hall.

* * *

When he got back to his room, Dean told Castiel what Balthazar had said. They were both packing up for the break and deciding what they were willing to keep at the dorm while it was closed for a week.

 _'_ _So are you going to do it?'_ Castiel signed to Dean while he put his books in his suitcase.

"I don't know." Dean turned away and shoved a couple bundles of clothes on top of his books. "It'll be something for me to think about while we're home."

Frankly, Dean had bigger things on his mind. He and Castiel hadn't talked about it much but they'd said enough to decide that this was the week that they'd tell the family about their relationship. Dean still wasn't sure what exactly to label them. "Boyfriends" didn't sound right but they weren't just friends either. He didn't even know how he'd bring it up, but he knew it had to be done.

Castiel could tell Dean was deep in thought as he furrowed his brows and forcefully shoved his things into his already too full suitcase. He had finished packing already and just had to wait for Dean to finish his afternoon classes.

* * *

It was close to five when Dean and Castiel had the Impala packed and started the drive home. Traffic was heavy with all the students leaving and parents coming to pick them up. Their usual 30 minute drive turned into an hour.

Dean was agitated with road rage when he could finally park in the driveway. Castiel squeezed his shoulder gently, hoping to calm him slightly.

Feeling Castiel's touch let Dean finally let out a breath. He looked to his right and smiled as the angel looked worried. "Don't worry, Cas. I'm fine." He put his hand over Castiel's briefly before exiting the vehicle.

They were walking to the door when John came out in full uniform. He looked agitated himself.

"Dad, what's wrong?" Dean paused, thinking something bad had happened.

"Nothing," John waved a hand, "I'm just going to help with some of the traffic accidents downtown. Guess there's a spike today and they need some extra hands."

"Oh, okay."

"I'll be back later." John nodded to them and walked to his police cruiser.

Dean and Castiel continued inside. They greeted Mary and Sam before heading upstairs to drop off their things.

They had dinner without John as he'd called to say he'd be late. Dean told the others about what Balthazar had told him. Mary thought it would be great and Sam seemed impressed that Dean had made such an impression on the professor. Dean would probably add a minor next year and see how it went.

* * *

The next day, John headed to work early so Dean decided to maybe tell the family about him and Castiel that night depending on his dad's mood when he got back. Just thinking about it made Dean nervous. He still had no idea how he'd even bring it up.

"Hey," Sam poked Dean as he sat beside him on the couch, "what's wrong with you?"

"Nothing," Dean snapped.

Sam raised his brows and smiled. "Nothing? Then why do you look constipated?"

Dean scrunched his face in disgust. "I don't, shut up."

"Okay, whatever." Sam brought his feet up and crossed his legs on the couch. "If you want to talk about something, I'm here."

Dean crossed his arms and frowned. He wanted to, but he still wasn't sure how to start. Castiel was upstairs reading and Mary was outside so he could talk to Sam alone, but would that help?

A few minutes passed before Dean said anything. "It's about me and Cas." Dean kept his eyes on the carpet. He saw Sam look at him, surprised that he was going to talk to him about it.

"What about you guys? Is something wrong?" Sam turned to face him, truly concerned.

Dean shook his head. "No, nothing's wrong. I was gonna tell everyone something this week and I don't…I don't know how to."

Sam had a thoughtful look as he chewed on his lip. "Something about the two of you?" Dean nodded. "Like what?"

Dean sighed and dropped his arms. "Like…" Dean sighed again and shook his head, lost for words.

"Like how you guys feel about each other?" Sam said it carefully, not wanting to upset Dean if it wasn't that.

Dean nodded. He knew Sam would be able to guess. Hell, the kid had told him about it before Dean was even aware of it.

Sam shifted and hummed in thought. "So, you two have talked about that finally?" Sam smiled when Dean looked at him. "What are you nervous about?"

Dean laughed. "You want me to list them off?"

Sam rolled his eyes. "What because he's a guy? Because he's an angel?"

" _My_ angel, Sam. Legally I own Castiel and it doesn't sit that well with me. I'm sure that won't be lost on mom and dad." Dean tried to keep his voice down as he felt the fear rise in his chest.

Sam shrugged like the answer was obvious. "Then let Castiel be free."

"What?"

"Revoke your ownership. I'm sure there's a way to do it. Dad could probably even help you with that if you asked."

Dean had thought of that too, but he also knew that Castiel most likely wouldn't be able to live with him at school anymore or have coverage if he was sick or injured or be able to go to school or own any kind of property. He covered his face with a hand.

"I wish it could be that easy, Sam."

"Maybe it is."

Dean dropped his hand and looked at his brother. "How do I even start this conversation with them? Should I make it a big announcement or just say it?"

Sam shrugged. "I don't know. But, I don't think they'd be angry. No matter how they react at first, I think they'll be fine with it. I will, if nothing else." Sam smiled, trying to reassure Dean.

"Thanks." Dean chuckled. He did feel slightly better.

* * *

That night, they were all eating dinner together and Dean was having a hard time eating as nerves turned his stomach. Sam watched him in sympathy. Castiel would occasionally brush his back with a wing, hoping to comfort him.

"You okay, honey?" Mary asked with a frown. She could tell something was bothering Dean and he's barely eaten anything.

Dean looked up with his mouth open to respond. He stopped when he saw all the eyes watching him. His heart pounded in his chest a little harder than usual. He had to clear his throat before he could speak.

"Fine, mom. I'm just not that hungry." He glanced at Castiel before looking at his plate.

"You're not getting sick are you?"

"No, I promise." He smiled and picked up his fork.

They settled into silence again as everyone ate. Dean kept trying to think of what to say and wondering why it had to be this hard.

Everyone had finished their food and Dean was beginning to think he would just wait another day. He looked at Sam and saw him trying to silently encourage him. He shook his head and looked away.

"Dean had something he wanted to tell you." Sam spoke as Mary reentered the room after taking away the dishes.

Dean once again felt everyone's gaze turn to him. He closed his eyes and felt heat rise to his face. Sam was dead.

"What is it, Dean?" Mary asked as she stood next to John's chair, placing a hand on the back of it.

He glared at Sam, who just shrugged and gestured to their parents. His jaw clenched as he looked back to Mary.

"Uh, well…" he ran his hands over his thighs, they were suddenly sweating. He felt Castiel gently hold his elbow. Dean looked at him and got an encouraging nod. He took a slow breath and faced his parents again.

"What's going on?" Mary looked between the boys. They looked worried and she didn't like when they didn't feel like they could talk to her.

"It's not a big deal, really." Dean found his voice finally and tried to just say it. "It's just about me and Cas and how we feel about each other."

Mary tilted her head and looked confused. "What do you mean?"

Sam leaned forward a little bit and spoke before Dean could. "They like each other _a lot_."

"Sam!" Dean looked at his brother, who just raised his eyebrows and shrugged.

John and Mary shared a look briefly. "Is that true, Dean?" Mary asked.

Dean turned back to look at her and nodded. Her eyes shifted to Castiel and the angel nodded as well. She smiled as the angel moved his hand to cover Dean's on the table.

John was looking between them with a slightly pinched expression. He shifted in his chair like he intended to say something, but he didn't. Dean felt the fear creep back in.

"Let me hear it, dad." He knew he'd have to voice his side and he wanted it over with.

"Who else knows about this?" He didn't sound upset, just curious.

"Just you guys and Charlie and Jo." Dean felt Castiel's hand tighten around his. The support squashed some of the fear.

John nodded. "You know what others will think, Dean. What they'll probably say to you, do to you and Castiel. Your roommate came after you just because he assumed something like this. You understand what you're setting yourself up for, right?"

Anger flared inside Dean's chest and chased away his fear. "I don't really care what anyone else thinks, dad. We've taken care of everyone so far, we'll do it again."

"You could try to declare him a citizen, but that process isn't easy, or cheap. He would have a hell of a time getting anything once you did that." John hoped Dean understood that he was trying to help him, not fight.

"I would like to do that at some point. I'm sure we could do it. Even if things were different, I would want Cas to be free."

John held up a hand and smiled. "And when that time comes, I'll help you in any way I can. I just want you to understand what you're getting into."

Dean glanced at Castiel, who was smiling. "I do."

Mary squeezed John's shoulder and then sat back in her chair next to him. "Well, I'm glad. You had me worried for a minute that there was a problem. Don't scare me like that."

Dean huffed out a laugh and looked around the table. He had been preparing for the worst and was surprised with support from everyone.

Mary passed around pie for everyone and they were able to eat and laugh. Maybe Sam wouldn't have to die just yet.


End file.
